Classic Rock News

Billy Joel‘s Long Island mansion, nicknamed MiddleSea, is on the market for just under $50 million. But one reason why the Piano Man says he’s unloading the 26-acre property is because he feels the real estate taxes are just too high.

While Billy is a millionaire many, many times over, he tells the New York Times that the yearly tax bill — $567,686 — is too much for him to swallow. “It’s not cheap, let’s put it that way,” he said. “As successful, I’ve been financially, yeah, that’s, you know, that’s a lot.”

The other reason Billy is selling is because he’s decided to move his home base to Florida, where his daughters, 7 and 9, are now enrolled in school — which means, Billy says, he’s “kind of locked in.”

But Billy can’t help but marvel at the fact that he ever bought MiddleSea in the first place. That’s because as a teenager, Billy had a job dredging oysters on the Long Island Sound. While out on the water, he used to see a huge brick mansion and think to himself, “Rich b*******. I’ll never live in a house like that.”

And then, in 2002, he bought it.

“The word that applies is ‘absurd,’” Billy tells the Times. “I grew up in a quarter-acre lot house in Hicksville [on Long Island]. And I would ride my bicycle up here and take a bike ride and look at all the rich people and cuss them out.”

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Neil Young is the latest artist to support Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election.

In a post to his Neil Young Archives site, with the headline “Why I Love Kamala Harris,” Young writes, “Kamala Harris — She is an honest forthright truth teller who is experienced in the White House, free from ambiguity or evasiveness, who goes straight to the point.” 

He adds, “Clear headed, young enough to hold the office for a couple of bright future terms, Kamala Harris is a good person who is unafraid to take on criminals and uphold the law of the USA. She’s my candidate for the future of this country.”

Young, a Canadian who became a naturalized American citizen in 2020, added that she “will take on the billionaire class and make them pay their fair share of taxes,” noting, “She will not owe them favors. She is a kind, considerate American.”

He concluded the post with, “Cast your vote for a beautiful future for your family. Kamala Harris for President.”

Young’s support for Harris shouldn’t be much of a surprise. The rocker has been very vocal about his feelings toward Donald Trump and has threatened to sue him over the use of his songs, like “Rockin’ In The Free World,” at rallies.

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On This Day, Oct. 14, 2007 …

The Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers documentary, Running Down A Dream, debuted at the New York Film Festival.

The four-hour documentary, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, gave insight into the history of the band from its early days as Mudcrutch, to its 30th anniversary concert at the University of Gainesville in Petty’s Florida hometown. It also touched upon Petty’s solo career and his work with the Traveling Wilburys.

The film featured archival footage, as well as interviews with fellow musicians such as George Harrison, Stevie Nicks, Jeff Lynne, Jackson Browne, Eddie Vedder and Dave Grohl.

The doc was originally released as a four-disc box set that included not only the movie, but a disc featuring the 30th anniversary concert and a disc of rare tracks.

The movie won a Grammy for Best Music Film.

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Zakk Wylde has dropped off the final dates on the Experience Hendrix tour due to his upcoming performance at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in honor of Ozzy Osbourne.

A post to the Black Label Society frontman’s Instagram reads, “We apologize to fans for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding as Zakk takes part in this momentous occasion.” 

The affected dates run from Tuesday in Nashville to Saturday in St. Augustine, Florida. The shows, which pay tribute to the music of Jimi Hendrix, will go on as scheduled with artists including Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Taj Mahal, Eric Johnson, Dweezil Zappa and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.

The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place Saturday in Cleveland and will stream live on Disney+. Also taking part in the Ozzy performance will be Tool‘s Maynard James Keenan, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica‘s Robert Trujillo, Wolfgang Van Halen, producer Andrew Watt, Billy Idol and Steve Stevens.

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A new documentary about The Beatles is coming to Disney+ in November.

Beatles ’64, directed by David Tedeschi and produced by Martin Scorsese, follows the band’s first-ever visit to America and features never-before-seen footage of the legendary group and their fans during the height of Beatlemania.

The doc includes fully restored footage filmed by documentarians Albert and David Maysles, along with performances from The Beatles’ first American concert in Washington, D.C., and clips of their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, who also co-produced the film alongside George Harrison’s widow, Olivia Harrison, and John Lennon’s son Sean Ono Lennon, have given new interviews that are featured in the film, plus there will be interviews from Beatles fans.

Beatles ’64 will stream exclusively on Disney+ starting Nov. 29.

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R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, The Black Crowes’ Rich Robinson, Screaming Trees/Mad Season drummer Barrett Martin and singer Joseph Arthur have teamed up to form a new supergroup, Silverlites.

The band has just released the new track “Don’t Go Don’t Stay” to digital outlets. The track is the first single from their upcoming album, which is due out Nov. 15. Another single, “Dark and Magic Sky,” will be released Nov. 11.

Martin shared on Facebook that the album was recorded and produced during the pandemic, and it was started in a Nashville hotel room.

“We hope you like the songs, as we spent the pandemic years doing various recording and mixing sessions, and we used a classic songwriting form, which is often forgotten in this day and age,” he shares. “That is, acoustic guitars (with a little electric guitar in there), with superb lead vocals, catchy backing vocals, and a soulful backbeat in the rhythm section.”

He adds, “It’s old school songwriting, just like us.”

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It’s natural to get excited when your favorite artist puts out a new album, but on occasion that excitement turns to disappointment when the album isn’t as great as you’d hoped it would be. 

Rolling Stone is examining that very subject with its just-released list of the 50 most disappointing albums of all time.

The mag notes that albums on the list aren’t necessarily bad, but were considered disappointing when they came out. Also, some disappointing albums are only disappointing because of the artist who released them, with the mag noting they could be “seen as a masterpiece if almost anyone else” recorded them. 

Topping the list is John Lennon’s 1972 release, Some Time in New York City, calling the protest songs on the album “half-a****, at best,” and noting they “seemed dated almost instantly.”

The mag adds, “Some Time in New York City is as disposable as the newspapers on the cover,” referring to the album’s artwork, which featured a fake newspaper front page.

Coming in at #2 is The Rolling Stones’ Their Satanic Majesties Request, followed by Bob Dylan’s Self Portrait at #3, David Bowie’s Tonight at #4 and Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy at #5.

Rounding out the top 10 are Bruce Springsteen’s Human Touch, The Beach Boys’ Smiley Smile, Stevie Wonder’s Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants, Yes’ Tales From Topographic Ocean and Michael Jackson’s Invincible.

The list also includes albums by Lou Reed, AC/DC, Blondie, Neil Young, Elton John and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

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Billy Joel played the brand-new venue in the LA area — Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California — on Oct. 12, and welcomed two special guests to the stage.

When Billy closed out his residency at New York’s Madison Square Garden in July, Guns n’ Roses singer Axl Rose was his special guest, and Rose returned again on Saturday night, singing GN’R’s version of Wings‘ James Bond theme “Live and Let Die.” Unlike the MSG show, though, Axl — who briefly sang lead for AC/DC a few years ago — didn’t join Billy for a cover of “Highway to Hell.”

Billy’s second guest of the evening was John Mayer, who played guitar as Billy sang “This Is the Time,” a romantic ballad from his 1986 album The Bridge. John played the same song with Billy in 2008 during the Piano Man’s Last Play at Shea concerts in New York City.

Billy’s next show is Oct. 25 at the Alamodome in St. Antonio, Texas. On Nov. 9, he’ll play a double bill with Sting in Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium.

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R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe appeared at another rally for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, this time joining second gentleman Doug Emhoff Thursday in Athens, Georgia, the birthplace of R.E.M.

Stipe performed four songs with musicians Andy LeMaster and David Barbe, including the R.E.M. tunes “Wendell Gee,” which Stipe said was written in Athens and only performed four times, and “Driver 8.” They also performed “Your Capricious Soul,” from Stipe’s upcoming solo album, which he said had never been played live before, and “No Time For Love Like Now,” a tune he recorded with Big Red Machine aka The National’s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver‘s Justin Vernonof.

Stipe also told the crowd a story of being in a restaurant in Manhattan for a friend’s birthday dinner about six years ago when he noticed a couple sharing a burger and some wine, noting they looked totally in love. Later that woman came over, tapped him on the shoulder and said, “My husband loves music, he’s a big fan. My name is Kamala Harris. This is Doug Emhoff.”

“I just want to say here tonight that these people are real, genuine, crazy in love people,” he said, noting it was a joy to see them in that moment and “now to see and celebrate that type of dedication and that type of love on a national and global stage.”

This is the second Harris/Walz rally that Stipe has performed at. He previously performed with Jason Isbell at a rally in Pittsburgh.

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