Classic Rock News

Rhino is kicking off 2025 with a new series of limited-edition vinyl releases from artists like Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham, the Ramones, ZZ Top and more.

The Start Your Ear Off Right series launches Friday with the release of Fleetwood Mac – Live at the Record Plant (December 15, 1974) on two-LP transparent red vinyl, Buckingham’s four-LP box set 20th Century Lindsey and three Ramones albums: 1984’s Too Tough to Die, 1987’s Halfway to Insanity and 1989’s Brain Drain.

There are also albums from The English Beat and Dream Theater, as well as ZZ Top’s first five albums, all on Rhino High Fidelity black vinyl: 1971’s ZZ Top’s First Album, 1972’s Rio Grande Mud, 1973’s Tres Hombres, 1975’s Fandango! and 1976’s Tejas.

Future releases include The Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses) on two-LP translucent lemonade vinyl on Jan. 17; Yes’ Fragile (Steven Wilson Remix) on emerald green vinyl, coming Jan. 24; and four albums from Rush — 1989’s Presto, 1991’s Roll the Bones, 1993’s Counterparts and 1996’s Test for Echo — on Jan. 31.

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The nominees for the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are usually decided upon in January, and it’s likely that someone will be disappointed when their favorite artist doesn’t get recognized with a nomination.

In a new interview with Vulture, RRHOF Chairman John Sykes shares his thoughts on some of the artists who have failed to nab a nod.

One of those artists is Phil Collins, who’s in as a member of Genesis, but hasn’t been recognized for his solo career. Sykes notes, “He’s come up in meetings so much.”

“What happens to great artists like Phil Collins, and I could name about four or five more, is that the committee will sometimes say, ‘He’s already in with Genesis,’” Sykes says. “We have such a backlog of people that need to get in that sometimes great solo artists like Phil can’t get on the ballot because there’s someone who’s not on in any configuration.” 

He adds, “I’ll say right now that’s no excuse for not putting Phil Collins in because he’s a great artist.”

Sykes also says he thinks Sting, an inductee with The Police, should be recognized for his solo career.

“I’ve nominated him many times, and I’m the chairman. That shows how this isn’t some backroom organization where decisions are made by a couple of people,” he says. “People vote on these things, and they fight like hell.”

Sykes also says The B-52s have come up in conversation, noting, “We’ve heard passionate pleas for them but they just haven’t made it onto the ballot yet, but I think they will one day.”

And Joe Cocker is another artist who’s yet to get a nod. “He hasn’t been able to get through, and I think he’s a deserving name,” Sykes adds.

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Alice Cooper is helping make folks’ dry January a bit tastier.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has teamed with WhistlePig Whiskey for a new limited-edition nonalcoholic cocktail, WhistlePig’s Sex, Drugs, Rock & Dry Old Fashioned, crafted with 100% rye non-whiskey, barrel-aged maple syrup and more. 

“I’ve been shocking audiences for years with snakes, guillotines, and enough fake blood to fill the Grand Canyon. But now these maniacs at WhistlePig have gone and shocked me with a non-alcoholic cocktail,” says Cooper, who’s been sober for over 40 years. “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Dry Old Fashioned is a lethal injection of flavors proving you don’t need to be drunk to be punk.”

The cocktail is described in a press release as “a rock anthem in a glass,” with notes of summer berries, wild herbs, black pepper, candied lime and more.

WhistlePig’s Sex, Drugs, Rock & Dry Old Fashioned is available now at shop.whistlepigwhiskey.com, and there’s even a special Go Pig Go Bundle, which includes a 750ml bottle of the cocktail along with a rye liquid-infused vinyl of Alice Cooper’s 2019 EP Breadcrumbs.

And it’s all going to a good cause, with 100% of the profits going to the nonprofit Giving Kitchen, which helps provide emergency assistance to food service workers across the country. 

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Bruce Springsteen is singing the praises of The Bear actor Jeremy Allen White, who is set to portray him in the upcoming movie Deliver Me From Nowhere.

White is set to do his own singing in the film, and in an interview for Sirius XM’s E Street Radio, The Boss shared, “He sings well. He sings very well.”

Bruce has been seen on the New Jersey set of the film; when asked whether it’s weird to watch White play him, Bruce said that it was “a little at first.”

“But you get over that pretty quick, and Jeremy is such a terrific actor that you just fall right into it,” he said. “He’s got an interpretation of me that I think A, the fans will deeply recognize and he’s just done a great job, so I’ve had a lot of fun. I’ve had a lot of fun being on the set when I can get there.”

The Boss also praised the rest of the cast, including Jeremy Strong, who plays Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau.

“It’s a tremendous cast of people,” he says. “They cast the film beautifully, so it’s very exciting.”

Deliver Me From Nowhere, directed by Scott Cooper, follows Springsteen’s efforts to make his 1982 solo album Nebraska. The film is based on Warren Zanes‘ book Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska.

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Ever wonder what it would sound like if Stewart Copeland played in Limp Bizkit?

The former Police drummer is the latest participant in the YouTube channel Drumeo‘s viral series, which challenges drummers to play along with a song they’d never heard before. For Copeland, Drumeo chose the Bizkit’s 2000 single “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle).”

Copeland delivered his version of “Rollin'” in just one take, adding that it was a “fun song to play.” Upon learning that he was playing along to a Limp Bizkit track, Copeland responded, “I like those guys in concept, I’m not that familiar with their music.”

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer also opened up about the way he writes his drum parts, revealing that his improvisational style became an issue for the Police’s frontman, Sting.

“I actually did try very hard to make my band happy and when Stingo would have an idea for something I absolutely would listen cause he’s actually is pretty good at this stuff,” Copeland explained. “I would listen but then I’d forget, and instinct takes over and I did my best … I wasn’t being obstinate or anything when I didn’t do what he asked it was just cause I forgot.”

Stewart notes he’d go into the studio with the intention of making Sting happy, but “it didn’t last.” 

“Our intentions were always really good but then that old bugaboo, that thing that used to always piss us both off, that point of conflict would always rear its ugly head, that thing known as the music,” he added.

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Former Motörhead and current Scorpions drummer Mikkey Dee had a not so jolly holiday season, which he spent in the hospital with sepsis.

In a Facebook post Thursday, Dee writes, “I was admitted for three weeks but now I am home fighting this bastard bacteria.”

“Thankfully, I have received fantastic care at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, my hometown,” Dee continues. “So thanks a million to all the Doctors and Nurses that have been giving me the most excellent care. After several operations, I am now back home and the numbers are all going in the right direction. Still lots of recovery and rehab in front of me.”

Dee hopes to return to the live stage for the upcoming Scorpions Las Vegas residency, which launches in February. He joined the “Rock You Like a Hurricane” outfit in 2016 following the 2015 death of Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister. 

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In addition to being an EGOT winner, Elton John has won two Golden Globe awards in his storied career. That’s why he’s been tapped as a presenter at this year’s Golden Globe Awards ceremony, airing Sunday, Jan. 5, on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

It’s not clear which category Elton will present, but Best Original Song is a safe bet, considering that’s the category he’s won in the past. Other presenters include Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, Sharon Stone, Viola Davis, Demi Moore, Aubrey Plaza, Glenn Close and Jeff Goldblum.

Another presenter who’s listed is Elton’s good pal Brandi Carlile, so perhaps they’ll present together. Elton and Brandi co-wrote “Never Too Late,” from Elton’s Disney+ documentary of the same name. While it’s been nominated for other awards, and is short-listed for the Oscar’s Best Original Song category, it did not receive a Golden Globe nomination. 

Here are the songs that were nominated this year; the award goes to the songwriters:

“Beautiful That Way,” co-written by Miley Cyrus for The Last Showgirl
“Kiss the Sky,” co-written by Maren Morris for The Wild Robot
“Forbidden Road,” co-written by U.K. pop superstar Robbie Williams for his biopic Better Man
“Compress / Repress,” co-written by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails
“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez, sung in the film by Zoë Saldaña
“Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez, sung in the film by Selena Gomez

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If you’ve seen Billy Joel in concert, you know he often drops Led Zeppelin‘s song “Rock and Roll” into the set. But on New Year’s Eve, he got to play another classic Zep song with the son of the band’s drummer.

Billy’s opening act on Dec. 31 at UBS Arena in Long Island, New York, was Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening, a band led by drummer Jason Bonham, son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John “Bonzo” Bonham, who died in 1980. Jason also came out to join Billy for a cover of Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” during Billy’s set.

According to Billboard, Billy told the crowd, “You all know this song. It’s not a piano song.” Jason played drums and while Billy did play piano, but he didn’t sing — his guitarist Mike DelGuidice did.

Billy also covered some other rock classics during the set, including Derek & The Dominos‘ “Layla” — which he played to run out the clock to midnight — plus a brief version of The Rolling Stones‘ “Start Me Up,” which is almost always in the set list.

Plus, Billy performed a couple of deep cuts, including “A Room of Our Own,” from 1982’s The Nylon Curtain, and “Souvenir,” from 1974’s Streetlife Serenade. He also performed “Souvenir” on New Year’s Eve 2024, when he rang in the year at the same venue, since the lyrics are so appropriate: “Every year’s a souvenir/ that slowly fades away.”

Billy’s next scheduled show is Jan. 17 in Hollywood, Florida.

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On This Day, Jan. 2, 1969 …

The Beatles began rehearsals for what would wind up being their final studio album together, Let It Be.

Rehearsals took place at Twickenham Film Studios and were marred by tension within the band, which was captured on film as cameras were recording the sessions for a documentary.

Let It Be was released in May 1970 along with the documentary of the same name, which featured The Beatles’ unannounced rooftop concert, their last public performance together. The album, which featured such classic Beatles songs as the title track, “Get Back” and “Across the Universe,” went to #1 in the U.S., the U.K. and several other countries.

The footage from the Let It Be documentary was later used by director Peter Jackson for the Emmy Award-winning docuseries The Beatles: Get Back, which was released in 2021.

The original documentary was restored from the original 16mm negative by Jackson’s Park Road Post Production and debuted on Disney+ in 2024.

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Neil Young won’t be playing the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival this year.

The rocker announced on his Neil Young Archives website that he and his band the Chrome Hearts were supposed to play the 2025 fest, but have now pulled out due to the BBC’s corporate sponsorship of the event.

“The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all time favorite outdoor gigs,” Young shared. “We were told that BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in.”

“It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being,” he added. “We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be.” 

But it sounds like fans in the U.K. may still get to see Young at some point this year. He ended his note with, “Hope to see you at one of the other venues on the tour.”

Glastonbury Festival is set to take place June 25 to June 29. The full lineup has not been announced, although Rod Stewart is confirmed to play the Legends slot.

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