The Beatles named Ultimate British Group in new U.K. listener poll

October 11, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Beatles have been named the Ultimate British Group by listeners of BBC Radio 2.

The poll, conducted in conjunction National Album Day on Oct. 19, let listeners chime in with their top five favorite British bands, with hundreds of thousands of folks submitting their votes.

While the Fab Four nabbed the top spot, several other classic rock acts dominated the top 10, with Queen at #2, followed by The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin.

Rounding out the top 10 are Take That, Coldplay, Oasis and ELO.

Other bands making the list include The Who at #11, Genesis at #16, Duran Duran at #19, The Kinks at #23, Bee Gees at #24, Wham! at #25 and The Police at #29.

For the purposes of the list, a British group was defined as any band with two or more members, with the lineup featuring all or a majority of members who were born in, live in or hold British citizenship.

Gene Simmons stands by his controversial ‘Dancing with the Stars’ appearance

October 11, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Gene Simmons isn’t bothered by the critics of his Dancing with the Stars appearance.

The KISS rocker was a guest judge on Tuesday’s hair metal episode, and received backlash from the public over what some argued were “creepy” comments that focused on the dancers’ appearance and looks rather than their performance.

A cameraman caught Simmons out in Los Angeles, with the Daily Mail sharing video of him brushing off the critiques.

“All media is clickbait. I stand by every word I said,” he said. “I had a great time. The contestants were great. The show was great.”

He added, “It was a lot of fun. But media? Everybody’s got something to say. Watch the show. It was a lot of fun. Everybody had a great time.”

Journey’s Steve Perry releasing updated version of holiday album

October 11, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Former Journey frontman Steve Perry is getting into the holiday spirit once again.

The singer just announced that a new version of his holiday record, now titled The Season 3, will be released Nov. 8, featuring six previously unreleased tracks.

One of those new tracks is a cover of the classic “What A Wonderful World,” which is out now.

Perry originally released The Season in 2021, then followed it up with a deluxe edition a year later. The new release features a total of 16 holiday tunes, including the new additions of “Call Me Irresponsible,” featuring Ray Perry, “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Let It Snow.”

The Season 3 will be released on CD, vinyl and digitally, with a Dolby Atmos mix. It is available for preorder now.

Here is the track list for The Season 3:
“What A Wonderful World”
“The Christmas Song”
“Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”
“This Christmas”
“Jingle Bell Rock”
“Call Me Irresponsible” (feat. Ray Perry)
“What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve”
“Auld Lang Syne”
“Silver Bells”
“I’ll Be Home For Christmas”
“Let It Snow”
“Maybe This Year”
“Winter Wonderland”
“Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer”
“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
“’Twas The Night Before Christmas”

Jon Bon Jovi the latest artist to endorse Kamala Harris & Tim Walz

October 11, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Jon Bon Jovi is the latest musician to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election.

Sharing a clip of “The People’s House,” his collaboration with The War And Treaty, Jon writes on Instagram, “The People’s House is a song that celebrates this beautiful place that we call home, from sea to shining sea.”

He adds, “The truth matters. And the truth is on election day I’ll be voting for @KamalaHarris and @TimWalz because I believe in the power of we, not of me. I’ve written a song reminding us that out of many, we are still one.”

Jon follows fellow New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen in endorsing the Harris/Walz ticket. Springsteen announced his support in early October, sharing that the Democratic candidates stand for “the vision of America I’ve been consistently writing about for 55 years.”

Joan Jett also just endorsed Harris/Walz with a new music video for the 2023 track “If You’re Blue.”

“More than ever, we need politicians who can implement massive positive change for our nation. We have come to that point where we’re not just voting for our party or a candidate, but on whether our democracy survives,” she shared. “And make no mistake! Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will guide us to a more positive future. A future we MUST look to for ourselves, our children, our country and our planet.”

Elton John says prior to fatherhood, his life had “no purpose”

October 11, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Elton John‘s decision to launch a Farewell Tour came about because he says he found a new purpose in life when he became a father.

Speaking to Attitude magazine, Elton says he kept on touring for decades because he felt he didn’t have anything else in his life. As he puts it, he and his husband, David Furnish, were “two affluent gay people going around the world with a nice philanthropic side to us, but there was no other purpose other than that.”

But he says after they had their first child, Zachary, in 2010, and their second, Elijah, in 2013, they finally had something to focus on.

“Having the children changed everything for the better because now it’s all about them,” he says. “It’s all about their welfare and their future … it’s the children that just really inspire us and it’s the most wonderful time of my life at the moment, and that’s pretty amazing.”

Having wrapped up his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour last year, Elton says, “I understand why Adele wants to stop because there’s more to life. I’ve done nearly over 5,000 shows in my life and I’ve done all there is to do, and so I just knew that my boys and David needed me, and I need them.”

Attitude magazine gave Elton its Legacy Award Wednesday, which had been given out just one time prior — posthumously, in 2017, to Elton’s close friend Princess Diana. In his speech, he noted that he’s “very lucky” to live in a country where, as a gay man, he can be married and have kids.

“But there are still people who don’t have those rights,” he said. “And I intend to fight for those rights until the day I die.”

Foghat pays tribute to original lead singer Lonesome Dave Peverett with new song

October 11, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Foghat has just released a new single dedicated to their original lead singer and guitarist, Lonesome Dave Peverett, who passed away in 2000.

The tune, “On Tonsils & Sneakers,” is inspired by Peverett’s stage introduction, “… on Tonsils and Sneakers, I’m Lonesome Dave,” and celebrates the silver and gold sneakers the rocker would wear during shows.

“When Lonesome Dave sang and played with this band, he gave nothing less than 100%,” drummer and founding member Roger Earl shares. “I loved playing with Dave. All I had to do was have fun playing drums.”

“Every once in a while you meet someone who changes the whole trajectory of your life,” guitarist Bryan Bassett adds. “Lonesome Dave Peverett was that person for me. From the day we met in the late ‘80s our friendship blossomed, I became his touring partner, I met my future wife and became a part of the Foghat family.”

“On Tonsils & Sneakers” is out now via digital outlets and will be released on 7-inch red translucent vinyl on Nov. 29 for Record Store Black Friday. The B-side will feature “Black Days & Blue Nights,” a song from Foghat’s 2023 album, Sonic Mojo, which was a tribute to the band’s original slide guitarist, Rod Price, who passed away in 2005.

On This Day, Oct. 11, 1997: Elton John hit #1 with tribute to Princess Diana

October 11, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, Oct. 11, 1997 …

Elton John landed at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Candle in the Wind ’97,” a tribute to his close friend, the late Princess Diana.

Elton first performed the song, a reworking of his 1974 single, at Diana’s funeral that September. He then recorded the track, with proceeds going to the Diana, Princess of Wales Fund. The song was released as a double A-side single with “Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” from Elton’s album The Big Picture.

The track spent 14 weeks at #1 in the U.S. and topped the charts in 20 different countries, including the U.K., Japan and Australia. It went on to become the first single to earn Diamond certification by the RIAA for sales of 10 million copies.

“Candle in the Wind ’97” is also the second highest-selling physical single of all time, behind Bing Crosby‘s 1942 classic “White Christmas,” according to the Guinness Book of World Records, and has sold more than 33 million copies worldwide.

The track also earned Elton a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Stevie Nicks sings in new ‘Saturday Night Live’ promo

October 11, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Although she tried to resist, Stevie Nicks sings in the new promo for this weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live, where she’ll serve as musical guest

Two clips were released featuring Stevie, host Ariana Grande and cast member Bowen Yang, and it’s in the second one where Stevie gives in and sings.

In the clip, Bowen comments about it being Ariana’s second time hosting the show, to which Ari replies, “You know what they say, lightning strikes, maybe once,” with Bowen adding, “Maybe twice,” which is a lyric to Stevie’s hit “Gypsy.” Stevie then warns them, “You can’t trick me into singing.”

But they don’t give up. Bowen then asks Ariana how her weekend was, and she responds, “It was good, you know, I climbed a mountain and I turned around,” with Bowen adding, “That’s so funny cause I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills,” both lyrics to the Fleetwood Mac tune “Landslide.”

That’s when Stevie finally gives in, singing “And the landslide brought me down,” prompting both Bowen and Ari to exclaim “Yes!”

This will be Nicks’ second time performing on SNL. The last time she was on the show was in December 1983, when she performed “Stand Back” and “Nightbird” from her sophomore solo album, The Wild Heart.

Stevie recently released the new single “The Lighthouse,” a song about women’s rights, which she says she started writing a few months after Roe v. Wade was overturned.

From Piano Man to The Entertainer: Billy Joel’s ‘Streetlife Serenade’ turns 50

October 11, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Friday marks the 50th anniversary of Billy Joel’s third studio album, Streetlife Serenade, which was a top 40 hit for the future Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.

Released Oct. 11, 1974, the album is best known for the song “The Entertainer,” which had Billy clapping back after his classic track “Piano Man” was cut for radio. In it he sings, “If you’re gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit, so they cut it down to 3:05.”

While “The Entertainer” went on to become a fan favorite and a staple at Joel’s live shows, he says the song is often misunderstood. It features lyrics that appear to have Joel complaining about being a music superstar, although they’re actually meant to be sarcastic, something Joel says fans, and DJs, didn’t often get.

“The disc jockey saying, ‘OK, first he’s a piano man. He’s b******* about playing in a piano bar. He’s moaning about his life,’” Billy said in a video about the album made for his website. “’Now he’s got a successful record. Now he’s b******* about being successful.’”

Streetlife Serenade was the follow-up to his 1972 breakthrough Piano Man, and even Billy admits he wasn’t at his best. He says the quality suffered because he was too busy opening for other acts on the road, sharing he “didn’t really have a lot of time to write new material.”

“But there was a lot of pressure to put out another album after Piano Man and I just didn’t have a lot of stuff,” he said. “There’s even two instrumentals and when’s the last time, you know, a singer-songwriter put out an instrumental?”

Streetlife Serenade went on to sell over 1 million copies and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.

Pearl Jam premieres “Waiting for Stevie” live video

October 10, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Pearl Jam has premiered a new live video for “Waiting for Stevie,” a track off their new album, Dark Matter.

The recording was filmed during PJ’s hometown show in Seattle on May 30 and features some psychedelic lighting to augment the performance. You can watch it streaming now on YouTube.

That same live version of “Waiting for Stevie” will be released on a 12-inch single for Record Store Day Black Friday, taking place Nov. 29. The single, which recognizes “Waiting for Stevie” as the 2024 RSD Song of the Year, also includes a live recording of the Dark Matter song “Wreckage.”

Dark Matter, the 12th Pearl Jam record, was released in April. The band wrapped their U.S. tour in September, and will head to Australia and New Zealand in November.

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