Classic Rock News

February marked the 40th anniversary of the release of Ratt’s hit album Out of the Cellar, and the band is now marking the occasion with a special 40th anniversary reissue.

Out of the Cellar (40th Anniversary), out Oct. 25, will feature the bonus of an unreleased track, “Reach for the Sky,” which was recorded during sessions for the album. It will be a limited-edition release on red and black splatter vinyl, with “Reach for the Sky” included on a special neon orange 7-inch. There will also be a CD version that includes the unreleased track.

Out of the Cellar was Ratt’s debut album and featured their biggest hit, “Round and Round.” The album, featuring the classic lineup of frontman Stephen Pearcy, guitarists Warren DeMartini and Robbin Crosby, bassist Juan Croucier and drummer Bobby Blotzer, shot the L.A.-based band to stardom and has since been certified triple Platinum. 

Out of the Cellar (40th Anniversary) is available for preorder now.

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On Sept. 10, while Jon Bon Jovi was on a bridge in Nashville filming a music video, he helped talk a distraught woman off the ledge of the bridge. Now we know what video it was.
 

On Aug. 30, Bon Jovi released a duet version of their song “The People’s House” with the Nashville duo The War & Treaty, comprised of married couple Tanya Trotter and Michael Trotter Jr.  The video was for that song, Michael tells People, and the incident occurred “20 minutes” after he and Tanya left the shoot.

“I guess they decided to let [Bon Jovi] walk the bridge, and good call because that’s how that took place,”  he said. “What a moment.”

Tanya said of the experience of working with Bon Jovi, “There are no words to how kind he is, how wonderful and giving he is. He supersedes anything that you can think about when you meet people. He’s bigger than life. You don’t feel the separation of him being this great icon and us doing the song together.”

There’s no word on when the video will be released.

Following the incident, the Metro Nashville Police Department account on social platform X wrote, “A shout out to @jonbonjovi & his team for helping a woman on the Seigenthaler Ped Bridge Tue night. Bon Jovi helped persuade her to come off the ledge over the Cumberland River to safety.”

If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or by visiting 988lifeline.org. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

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A new documentary about Neil Young is set to have its world premiere at the upcoming Woodstock Film Festival in Woodstock, New York.

The flick, Coastal, was directed by Young’s wife, actress Daryl Hannah, and is described as a behind-the-scenes look at Young’s 2023 tour, which was his first time back out on the road following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“From his everyday observations on the bus to his candid banter with his audience,” the film’s description offers. “Coastal is a rare peek behind the curtain of this unguarded iconoclast.” 

The Woodstock Film Festival runs from Oct. 15 to Oct. 20, with Coastal premiering at the Bearsville Theater on Oct. 20. Tickets are on sale now.

Young was one of the last artists to return to the road following the pandemic. His Coastal tour kicked off in July 2023 and had him playing mostly West Coast dates, treating his fans to set lists filled with rarities and deep cuts.

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Green Day‘s Dookie has been certified double Diamond by the RIAA.

The punk trio’s 1994 breakout record is only the 13th album to pass the 20 million units mark in the U.S.

“Thank you to everyone who has loved this album as much as we have over the past 30 years and to all of you who have made it possible to live out our dreams,” Green Day says.

Dookie spawned the singles “Basket Case,” “Longview,” “Welcome to Paradise” and “When I Come Around.” In April, the Library of Congress announced it was inducting Dookie into the National Recording Registry.

Green Day has been playing Dookie in full in honor of its 30th anniversary on their ongoing U.S. stadium tour. They’re also performing 2004’s American Idiot in its entirety to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

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Iron Maiden has announced a 2025 world tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of their 1975 founding.

The first leg of the outing will run through Europe from May 27 in Budapest, Hungary, to Aug. 2 in Warsaw, Poland. Halestorm and Avatar will also be on the bill depending on the date.

For each show, Maiden will be playing a set list focused on the band’s first nine albums, spanning their 1980 self-titled album to 1992’s Fear of the Dark.

“Next year is a very special one for Iron Maiden and we’re going to be giving our fans a once-in-a-lifetime live experience,” says frontman Bruce Dickinson. “This is a tour that’s gonna put a smile on your face and a cheer in your throat.”

“If you’ve seen us before, then get ready to take that experience to a whole new level,” he continues. “If you’ve never seen us before, then what the hell have you been waiting for? Now’s your chance to find out what you’ve been missing! Iron Maiden’s definitely gonna get ya!”

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit IronMaiden.com.

Before they turn 50, Iron Maiden is headlining a U.S. fall tour, launching in October.

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On This Day, Sept. 19, 1981…

Former musical partners Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunited for a concert on the Great Lawn in New York’s Central Park.

The concert took place more than 10 years after the pair’s final studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Water.

The duo performed many of their classics songs, including “The Sound of Silence,” “Mrs. Robinson,” “The Boxer,” “Bride Over Troubled Water,” “Homeward Bound” and “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy),” as well as Simon solo tunes like “Late in the Evening,” “Slip Slidin’ Away,” and “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover.” 

More than 500,000 people attended the free concert, which benefited the redevelopment and maintenance of the park.

An album of the concert was released in February of 1982, and peaked at #6 on the Billboard album chart. It was later certified double platinum by the RIAA.

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The 50th anniversary of George Harrison’s solo album Living in the Material World is being celebrated with a series of new reissues, including a super deluxe edition featuring 12 previously unreleased recordings. 

Harrison’s wife, Olivia, and son, Dhani, oversaw the project, with Olivia sharing, “I hope you revisit Living in the Material World or discover it for the first time, and as you listen, share George’s wish for himself and mankind.”

The super deluxe edition will be limited to only 5,000 copies, and will include two LPs and two CDs, featuring the newly remixed album, plus a separate disc with previously unreleased early editions of each song on the album.

The first preview of those recordings is “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) (Take 18),” an early acoustic version of Harrison’s second solo #1. It is available now via digital outlets.

The super deluxe edition will also include a Blu-ray featuring the album in Dolby Atmos; a 7-inch single of a previously unheard recording of “Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)” featuring Harrison’s Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr and The Band’s Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson and Rick Danko; and a 60-page booklet with extensive notes, and archival photos and artwork.

In addition to the super deluxe edition, there will be two-LP and two-CD deluxe editions that include the session outtakes. It will also be released as a single CD and LP, with limited-edition color vinyl variants available at various retailers, including a purple color vinyl from the Harrison online store. 

All formats will be released Nov. 15 and are available for preorder now. 

Released in May 1973, Living in the Material World, Harrison’s second solo album of original material, was his second solo album to hit #1.

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Metallica‘s M72 tour will be stretching into 2025.

The metal legends have announced another North American leg of their worldwide trek, kicking off April 12 at the Sick New World Festival in Las Vegas. The outing concludes June 29 in Denver, and will feature a mix of standalone headlining shows and No Repeat Weekends, consisting of two separate concerts in one city featuring completely different set lists.

Depending on the date, openers include the reformed Pantera, Limp Bizkit, Ice Nine Kills and Suicidal Tendencies.

Tickets to the headlining and No Repeat Weekends go on sale Sept. 27 at 10 a.m. local time. Members of Metallica’s fan club will have access to a presale beginning Sept. 23 at 10 a.m. local time.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit Metallica.com.

Metallica will also be playing two nights at the 2025 Sonic Temple festival, taking place May 8-11 in Columbus, Ohio. The bill also includes Alice in Chains and Rob Zombie, with more artists to be announced.

The M72 tour launched in 2023 in support of Metallica’s latest album, 72 Seasons.

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Playing For Change, a multimedia project that aims to connect the world through music, is releasing a new compilation album.

Songs for Humanity, dropping Nov. 13, is described as “an unparalleled musical collaboration manifesting the universal language and transformative power of music with soulful melodies and poignant lyrics.” 

The album features previously released songs that pair well-known artists like the late Robbie Robertson, Ringo Starr, John Paul Jones, Carlos Santana, Slash, Jackson Browne and Peter Gabriel with musicians from around the world for new takes on classic tunes.

Browne’s contribution is his song “Doctor My Eyes,” while Robertson and Starr appear on The Band’s “The Weight,” Gabriel contributes “Biko,” Santana is featured on “Oye Como Va” and Jones plays on Led Zeppelin’s “When The Levee Breaks.”  

Songs for Humanity is available for preorder now. Here is the track list for Songs of Humanity:
“The Weight”
“When The Levee Breaks”
“Colors”
“Soul Rebel”
“Biko”
“Doctor My Eyes”
“Oye Como Va”
“No Woman No Cry”

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Stevie Nicks is headed to Saturday Night Live.

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is booked as the musical guest for the Oct. 12 episode of the NBC late night comedy sketch show, with Ariana Grande taking on hosting duties.

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.

Saturday Night Live returns for its 50th season on Sept. 28 with host Jean Smart and musical guest Jelly Roll.

Also booked for this season is host Nate Bargatze, with musical guest Coldplay on Oct. 5, Michael Keaton with musical guest Billie Eilish on Oct. 19, and John Mulaney with musical guest Chappell Roan on Nov. 2.

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