David Bowie, Bob Dylan make ‘Rolling Stone’s’ list of the 250 greatest albums of the 21st century so far

January 10, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Rolling Stone has come out with its list of the 250 greatest albums of the 21st century so far, with albums from David Bowie and Bob Dylan making the list.

Dylan lands at #19 with Love and Theft, which was released in 2001; the mag calls it a “ragged masterpiece.” He also places at #149 with 2020’s Rough and Rowdy Ways.

Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, which the rocker recorded while battling liver cancer, ranks at 25. It was released in 2015 just two days before he died. The mag calls the record “one of the greatest final acts in rock history.”

Other albums making the list include Bruce Springsteen’s The Rising (2002), Green Day’s American Idiot (2004), Brian Wilson’s Smile (2004), U2’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000), Paul Simon’s So Beautiful or So What (2011), R.E.M.’s Reveal (2001), and Paul McCartney’s Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (2005).

As for the #1 album, that goes to Beyoncé‘s 2016 release, Lemonade, with Radiohead’s 2000 record, Kid A, coming in at #2.

The complete list can be found at RollingStone.com.

Elton John wishes his ‘great mate’ Rod Stewart a happy birthday: ‘So many great memories’

January 10, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Elton John and Rod Stewart haven’t been that close in recent years, but Elton still made it a point to wish his old pal a happy 80th birthday on Friday.

On his Instagram Story, Elton posted a slideshow of pictures of the two of them through the decades. One picture shows Elton in drag, sitting in Rod’s lap; another shows them side by side in bathtubs. “Happy birthday to my great mate! @sirrodstewart,” Elton wrote. “So many great memories over the years! Hope you have a brilliant day celebrating! Much love!”

Elton and Rod used to be so close that they had special nicknames for each other — Rod was “Phyllis” and Elton was “Sharon” — and played elaborate pranks on each other. But in 2018, Rod ticked Elton off by going on TV and saying that Elton’s farewell tour was a “dishonest” ploy to get more money.

In his autobiography, Elton wrote about Rod’s comment, “I certainly didn’t feel like I needed a lecture on the feral spirit of rock and roll from someone who’d spent most of the last decade crooning his way through the Great American Songbook … I thought he had a f****** [nerve], complaining about me promoting a tour while he was sat on a TV show promoting his own tour.”

Rod told ABC Audio in 2021, “We don’t see each other anymore. We don’t keep in contact. The romance is over. I suppose, you know, we contact each other through the press now. If I say something b***** about him, he’ll use the press to get back at me. But we love each other. That’s what counts.”

Meanwhile, Rod took to Instagram Friday to thank his “loyal and rowdy fans … for giving me such a wonderful life,” adding, “I’ve not finished yet.”

Jethro Tull announces new album, ‘Curious Ruminant’, coming in March

January 10, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Jethro Tull is set to release a new album, Curious Ruminant, on March 7. It will feature nine new tracks, including a tune called “Drink From The Same Well,” which is almost 17 minutes long.

The band is offering their first preview of the record with the release of the album’s title track and an accompanying video, directed by Costin Chioreanu.

Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson began work on Curious Ruminant not long after the release of the band’s 2023 album RökFlöte, writing brand new songs and using some unfinished instrumental demos recorded years ago.

Joining Anderson on the album is former Jethro Tull keyboardist Andrew Giddings and drummer James Duncan, as well as current band members David Goodier, John O’Hara and Scott Hammond, and guitarist Jack Clark, who is making his recording debut with the band.

Curious Ruminant will be released in a variety of formats, including CD, vinyl and transparent grape vinyl. There are also two limited-edition deluxe sets, both of which include alternative stereo mixes of the album, a Blu-ray with Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround sound, plus interview material.

Curious Ruminant is available for preorder now.

Metallica announces single-day tickets for 2025 M72 No Repeat Weekend shows

January 10, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Metallica has announced the single-day ticket details for the No Repeat Weekend shows on the 2025 North American leg of their ongoing M72 tour.

As with previous legs, the No Repeat Weekend shows consist of two concerts over a single weekend in one city, each featuring a completely unique set list.

When the 2025 dates first went on sale, you could only buy No Repeat Weekend tickets in a two-show bundle. Now Metallica has announced that you can buy tickets for individual shows on Jan. 17 at 10 a.m. local time.

If you’re a member of the Metallica fan club, you can access a presale beginning Jan. 13 at 9 a.m. local time.

For all ticket info, visit Metallica.com.

Metallica’s 2025 North American tour launches in April.

On This Day, Jan. 10, 2023: Guitarist Jeff Beck died at age 78

January 10, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, Jan. 10, 2023 …

Legendary guitarist Jeff Beck passed away at the age of 78 after contracting bacterial meningitis.

Beck came to prominence as a member of The Yardbirds, but went on to have a successful solo career, fronting his own Jeff Beck Group.

Considered by many to be one of the greatest guitar players of all time, Beck won six Grammys for best rock instrumental performance, plus additional wins for best pop instrumental performance and best pop collaboration with vocals.

He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice, in 1992 as a member of The Yardbirds and again in 2009 for his solo work.

Ringo Starr drops video for title track of country album, ‘Look Up’, which is out now

January 10, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Ringo Starr’s new country album, Look Up, is out now, and to celebrate Ringo has dropped the video for the album’s title track, which features a guest appearance by Molly Tuttle.

According to a press release, the video, directed by Wyndham Garnett, was inspired not only by the song’s lyrics, but by Ringo’s mission of sharing peace and love. It features a diverse group of people gathered in a field, as they dance, share the love and simply look up into the sun-filled sky. It ends with an aerial view, revealing that they are forming a peace sign.

The album Look Up, co-written and produced by T Bone Burnett, was recorded last year in Los Angeles and Nashville. It’s made up of 11 songs, with special guest appearances by Tuttle, Billy Strings, Lucius, Larkin Poe and Alison Krauss. The Eagles‘ Joe Walsh, who is Ringo’s brother-in-law, also played on the album.

Ringo is set to celebrate the release of Look Up with shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, billed as Ringo Starr & Friends, on Jan. 14 and Jan. 15. He’ll also hit the road with his All-Starr Band, starting June 12 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. A complete list of dates can be found at ringostarr.com.

Da ya still think he’s sexy? Rod Stewart turns 80

January 10, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

From blues and folk, to rock and pop, to standards and swing, it seems like Rod Stewart has done it all, and as he turns 80 on Jan. 10, he has no plans to slow down.

While his 2025 tour is called One Last Time, the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer said in November he’ll be making some changes to his schedule, but he’s not going to hang up his microphone. “This will be the end of large-scale world tours for me, but I have no desire to retire. I love what I do and I do what I love,”
he wrote.

“I’m fit, have a full head of hair and can run 100 meters in 18 seconds at the jolly old age of 79,” he boasted.

2025 is shaping up to be a very busy year for Rod the Mod, who’s sold 120 million records worldwide and scored a string of U.S. top-10 hits, including the number ones “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright),” “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?,” “Maggie May” and “All For Love,” a collaboration with Sting and Bryan Adams.

Rod is going to perform at the U.K.’s biggest festival, Glastonbury, on June 29. He also has a couple of co-headlining shows with Billy Joel lined up, including a concert at New York’s Yankee Stadium in July, and he’ll kick off a new round of Las Vegas residency shows at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in March.

On top of that, Rod continues to promote his signature brand of whisky, Wolfie’s, and enjoy his huge family, including wife Penny Lancaster, his various ex-wives and partners, his eight children and his three grandchildren.

In his November post, Rod also said that he’s already planning a 2026 tour in which he’ll perform songs from his bestselling collection of Great American Songbook albums, as well as his most recent release, Swing Fever, which hit #1 in his native U.K.

The soundtrack to director James Mangold’s life: Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M. & more

January 10, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Director James Mangold is known for making movies about musicians, like Walk the Line about Johnny Cash and his recent release, the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. So what music has played a pivotal role in his life?

In a new interview with NME, Mangold shared the music that he considers the soundtrack to his life, and it includes Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M.

Mangold says the first concert he ever went to was Springsteen in 1980, just a few days after the death of The Beatles‘ John Lennon.

“I could only afford nosebleed seats but I was so thrilled to be seeing Springsteen, who was a hero of mine. Still is,” he says. “Honestly, the music sounded like s*** from where I was in the rafters, but just seeing him in real life, existing, standing there on the edge of the stage, it was thrilling.”

He adds, “Springsteen is a touchstone for me. There’s incredible economy of storytelling in his songwriting.”

Mangold also reveals that R.E.M.’s “It’s The End of the World As We Know It” is the song he can’t get out of his head, while “The Bare Necessities” from The Jungle Book is the first song he remembers hearing and Glen Campbell‘s “Wichita Lineman” is the song he wants played at his funeral.

Boston’s 1976 self-titled debut was the first album he ever bought, although he notes, “The best song is ‘More Than A Feeling,’ obviously. The album immediately goes downhill after that.”

And Cash also plays a part in Mangold’s soundtrack, with the director sharing that “A Boy Named Sue” is his go-to karaoke tune, mostly because he’s a baritone. He says he loves singing “anything by Johnny Cash,” noting “that’s in my range.”

Steve Hackett releases live performance of ‘Jacuzzi’ from ‘Live Magic At Trading Boundaries’

January 9, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett is set to release the new live album Live Magic At Trading Boundaries on Jan. 17, and he’s just shared another track from the release.

The latest is a live performance of the song “Jacuzzi,” which originally appeared on his 1980 solo album, Defector.

Live Magic At Trading Boundaries is a compilation of various recordings taken from years of shows at the intimate venue in Sussex, England, with Hackett performing stripped down versions of classic tracks, including solo material, and Genesis tunes like “Blood On The Rooftops” and “Horizons.”

Hackett has been playing Trading Boundaries yearly since 2016, and ahead of the release he’ll play shows there on Jan. 18 and Jan. 19. A complete list of tour dates can be found at hackettsongs.com.

New box set highlights David Lee Roth’s solo career

January 9, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

David Lee Roth’s solo career is being revisited in a new box set from Rhino.

The Warner Recordings 1985-1994 will include Roth’s first five solo records, including his debut solo EP, 1985’s Crazy from the Heat, which was a top-15 hit for Roth. It included such hit tracks as “Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody,” which peaked at #12, and a cover of The Beach Boys’ “California Girls,” which hit #3.

The set also includes 1986’s Eat ‘Em and Smile; 1988’s Skyscraper, which featured the top-10 hit “Just Like Paradise”; 1991’s A Little Ain’t Enough; and 1994’s Your Filthy Little Mouth.

The Warner Recordings 1985-1994 will be released Feb. 21 in a variety of formats, including digitally and as a five-CD set. There will also be a five-LP version sold exclusively at Rhino.com. All versions are available for preorder now.

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