Classic Rock News

A classic Pink Floyd concert experience is set to get a stereo mix treatment from Alan Parsons, the engineer of the band’s classic album The Dark Side of the Moon.

Parsons confirmed on Facebook that he’s worked on 5.1 and Dolby Atmos mixes of Pink Floyd: Live at Earls Court in London 1994, which features the band playing The Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. According to the post, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour personally requested Alan handle the mixes, which Gilmour then approved.

“It was a fantastic experience to go back to the songs I knew so well from the original album,” he shares. “Remixing this amazing live performance was a real treat.”

The Pink Floyd Earls Court shows took place during their tour for their 14th studio album, The Division Bell, which was their second album without Roger Waters. The band — Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason — played 14 shows at the London venue and were joined by Waters for the final show.

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Journey’s Jonathan Cain has revealed that the band is working on some new music, but whether it will be part of a new album is still undecided.

The revelation came as Cain was talking about the band’s fall U.K. tour with Classic Rock and whether they plan to put any songs from their most recent album, 2022’s Freedom, in the set list.

“Right now we’re only playing one [‘Let It Rain’], but we are working on a new, new song, and if we can get that up to speed we may be playing that one too,” he said. “We’ll see.”

He added the tune is “brand new, right out of the box,” noting, “If it gets accepted then who knows… it might be a single.”

“It’s called ‘This Town.’ It’s about the fans. That fifty-year relationship we’ve had with them,” he shares. “We wrote it about their loyalty. The hook is: ‘Tonight, it’s all about this town.’” 

As for whether there is a new album in Journey’s future, Cain says, “I don’t know yet. It’s so tough out there.”

Meanwhile, Cain also says the band’s biggest hit “Don’t Stop Believin’” has some celebrity fans, noting the most surprising of which was Bruce Springsteen.

“There was a charity gala, and Bruce, Elton John and Lady Gaga sang it on stage somewhere,” he says. “It’s out there on the net somewhere, you can check it out.”

Journey is currently on tour with Def Leppard, with the next show happening Tuesday in Philadelphia. Their U.K. tour kicks off Oct. 30 in Cardiff. A complete list of dates can be found at journeymusic.com.

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Warren Haynes fans have something to look forward to this fall. The Gov’t Mule frontman just announced new tour dates with the Warren Haynes Band, with a new album on the way as well.  

The Million Voices Whisper Tour, named after the band’s upcoming studio album, Million Voices Whisper, will kick off Sept. 19 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with stops in Washington, D.C., Nashville, Philadelphia and more, before wrapping Oct. 12 in Boston.

For the fall tour, the Warren Haynes Band will consist of Gov’t Mule bassist Kevin Scott, drummer Terence Higgins, Greg Osbyon on sax and John Medeski of Medeski, Martin & Wood on keyboards.

Local presales will kick off Thursday at 12 p.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday at 12 p.m.

More info on the new album is expected at a later date.

Warren Haynes Band recently launched their Now Is The Time Tour, which features The Dreams and Songs Symphonic Experience. It hits Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Monday.

A complete list of dates can be found at warrenhaynes.net.

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The Police are set to reissue their multi-Platinum album Synchronicity on Friday for its 40th anniversary, and it turns out The Beatles‘ docuseries Get Back played a role in them deciding to revisit the album.

In an interview with MOJO, drummer Stewart Copeland said the doc “changed everything for many groups across the land.” 

Copeland explained, “[U]p until that point, we had this policy, which was the only version that shall ever see the light of day is the finished product. Then we saw The Beatles in their underpants. And the realization dawned that it actually increases the interest in the song to see it in its underpants under development.”

To show that, the deluxe edition of the release contains 55 previously unreleased tracks, made up of alternate takes, instrumentals, demos and live recordings.

But the making of Synchronicity was far from easy, with tension running high between the band members. 

“We were all three pieces of s*** in that room. We are not kindly individuals,” Copeland shared. “Andy and Sting are both wonderful human beings until they’re in The Police room. Then they turn into f****** a*******. The only worse a****** was probably me.”

Summers added, “I think any band worth anything has to have creative tension. Music can’t be made from a mellow state. It’s gotta be made with tension.”

The Police broke up after Synchronicity. The last time the three members of The Police played together was for a 2007-08 tour, and fans shouldn’t expect it to happen again.  

When asked if there was any chance of a Police reunion, Copeland was pretty certain of the answer. “No,” he said. “There’s at least a 0000000000000000000000.1 per cent chance of it ever happening.”

Synchronicity (40th Anniversary Edition) is available for preorder now.

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Metallica has announced the return of their 2024 Helping Hands benefit concert.

The fourth edition of the biannual event will take place Dec. 13 at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles. Jimmy Kimmel will host, and Metallica teases the night will include “other special guests to be announced soon.”

Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. PT. Presales for members of Metallica’s fan club take place Wednesday at 10 a.m. PT and noon PT, depending on your member status.

For all ticket info, visit Metallica.com.

Helping Hands, which supports Metallica’s All Within My Hands charity foundation, previously took place in 2018, 2020 and 2022, and features a rare acoustic performance from the metal legends. Openers have included Greta Van Fleet and Cage the Elephant, and St. Vincent was a surprise guest in 2022.

Meanwhile, Metallica’s M72 world tour returns to U.S. stadiums in August.

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An upcoming documentary about Bruce Springsteen’s life on the road will have its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival this fall.

Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band is directed by The Boss’ longtime collaborator Thom Zimny, who also directed the Springsteen on Broadway Netflix special, and documentaries about Springsteen albums Western Stars and Letter To You.

“In the film, Springsteen and The E Street Band offer the most in-depth look ever at the creation of their legendary live performances, including footage of band rehearsals, backstage moments, rare archival clips and personal reflections from Springsteen himself,” reads a film description posted on Bruce’s Instagram.

So far no date for the world premiere has been announced. The Toronto Film Festival runs Sept. 5 to Sept. 15. 

Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band is expected to air on Hulu and Disney+ in October.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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John Lennon’s son Sean Lennon is opening up about the responsibility he feels to keep his father’s legacy alive.

In an interview with The Times, Sean talks about the recently released remix of Lennon’s 1973 solo album, Mind Games, and shares why it was such a personal project for him.

“One thing that distinguishes my dad’s solo career is how personal his lyrics became,” he shares. “It is like a diary, and it is my duty to bring attention to my father’s music. Not just my duty to him, but a duty to the world.”

He adds, “With the world as it is now, people have forgotten so many things that I never imagined could be forgotten. I refuse to let that happen to this music — it means too much to me.”

Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection, which was released on July 12 and included six different listening experiences, featuring unreleased outtakes, stripped down mixes, instrumentals, demos, rehearsals and even what’s described as “studio chatter.”

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Slash has shared that his stepdaughter Lucy-Bleu Knight has died. She was 25.

A statement posted to the Guns N’ Roses guitarist’s Instagram reads, “Lucy-Bleu was an incredibly talented artist, a passionate dreamer, and a charming, lovable, sweet soul.”

“The family asks for privacy at this time and requests that social media speculation be kept at a minimum as they grieve and process this devastating loss,” the statement continues.

Lucy-Bleu passed July 19 while Slash was on tour in support of his new blues covers album, Orgy of the Damned. Prior to sharing the news, Slash announced that several of his upcoming tour dates had been canceled due to “unforeseen circumstances.” The affected shows run from Monday in Cincinnati to Saturday in Windsor, Ontario.

Slash’s tour is expected to resume July 28 in Toronto.

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Chris Cornell‘s widow, Vicky Cornell, has shared a clip of the late Soundgarden frontman’s currently unreleased cover of Tracy Chapman‘s “Fast Car.”

Vicky posted the snippet on Instagram on Saturday, which would’ve marked Chris’ 60th birthday.

“On [Chris’] 60th we can all celebrate his genius as an artist who redefined music, but also the incredible man who touched and changed lives,” Vicky wrote. “He’s an icon, and he gave us all so much – his unique voice, his poetry, his creativity… his life was a gift to so many.”

“And as you can hear – there’s more to come!!!” she adds. “Sharing this to thank you all for your love and support and come together in celebrating.”

Chris died in 2017 at age 52. A posthumous covers album, No One Sings Like You Anymore, Vol. 1, was released in 2020 and features Cornell’s renditions of songs including “Nothing Compares 2 U,” Guns N’ Roses‘ “Patience” and John Lennon‘s “Watching the Wheels.”

Also on his birthday, Heart‘s Nancy Wilson shared a video of Chris covering The Rolling Stones‘ “Wild Horses.”

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On This Day, July 22, 1977…

Elvis Costello launched his music career with the U.K. release of his debut album, My Aim Is True.

The album, produced by Nick Lowe, featured Costello backed by the San Francisco country rock band Clover, although contractual issues resulted in their name being left off the album.

Although the album did not contain any chart-topping singles, at least two tracks went on to be Costello classics, “Alison” and “(These Angels Want To Wear) My Red Shoes.”

After the release, Costello was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy, although he lost to the R&B group A Taste of Honey.  

Costello is currently on tour with Daryl Hall. Their tour hits Gilford, New Hampshire, on Monday.

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