Classic Rock News

Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett has premiered a new solo song, a country rocker called “Black Top White Lines.”

“Thematically it felt like it turned a classic country trope on its head a little,” Shiflett says of the tune.

You can listen to “Black Top White Lines” now via digital outlets and watch its accompanying lyric video streaming now on YouTube.

“Black Top White Lines” follows Shiflett’s two 2022 singles, “Long, Long Year” and “Born & Raised.” He’s also been working on a new solo album, which is due out later this year.

Shiflett’s previously released two solo albums, 2017’s West Coast Town and 2019’s Hard Lessons.

In addition to working on his solo material, Shiflett will join the rest of Foo Fighters for a number of festivals this year, including Bonnaroo and Boston Calling. The shows mark the band’s live comeback following the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins last March.

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Back in early 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono co-hosted the very popular daytime talk show The Mike Douglas Show. Now we’re about to get an in-depth look at what happened behind-the scenes.

Variety reports that a new documentary, Daytime Revolution, has just completed production, taking a look at that important week of television. The doc has the blessing of Yoko and Sean Ono, who also consulted on the project but do not appear. The doc will feature archival footage of the five Lennon/Ono hosted episodes, along with interviews from the surviving guests, which include political activist Ralph Nader.

“It’s become a cliche that Woodstock was the defining moment of the counterculture,” says the film’s director, Erik Nelson, but “when I watched these broadcasts in their entirety, I realized that, in reality, this week in 1972, when John Lennon and Yoko Ono essentially hijacked the airwaves and presented the best minds and dreams of their generation to the widest possible mass audience of what was then called ‘Middle America,’ was as far as the counterculture would ever get.”

Nelson notes Lennon and Ono’s appearance presented “Not just music but a prescient blueprint for the future we now live in.” 

The Lennon/Ono hosted episodes of The Mike Douglas Show featured a variety of guests, all personally invited by the couple. In addition to Nader, comedian George Carlin appeared on the program, as well as Chuck Berry and Black Panther chairman Bobby Seale and others, with the show touching on a variety of controversial topics.

So far, Daytime Revolution is still looking for a distributor and doesn’t have a release date.

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Rolling Stone magazine is out with another list that’s bound to get people talking. Following their controversial 200 Best Singers of All Time list, the mag has now called out 50 Genuinely Horrible Albums by Brilliant Artists.

While Kanye West’s 2018 release, Ye, tops the list, several rockers are recognized for their horrible records, including the The Velvet Underground, Yes, Bob Dylan, and John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

The Velvet Underground lands at two with their 1973 release, Squeeze, which didn’t really feature any of the original members. It had Doug Yule, who replaced founding member John Cale in 1968, writing and singing the majority of the songs. It did, however, have an impact on Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford, who were inspired to call their band Squeeze because of the album. 

Albums making the top 10 include: Yes’ Union at three, Bob Dylan’s Down in the Groove at five, Black Sabbath’s Forbidden at six, Lennon and Ono’s Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins at seven, Elvis Presley’s Fun in Acapulco original soundtrack at eight, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s American Dream at nine and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Mardi Gras at 10.

The list also includes Van Morrison’s Latest Record Project, Volume 1, Billy Joel’s The Bridge, Metallica’s St. Anger, Elton John’s Leather Jackets, David Bowie’s Never Let Me Down, George Harrison’s Gone Troppo and Paul McCartney’s Give My Regards to Broad Street.

The complete list can be found at rollingstone.com.

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Survivor keyboardist Frankie Sullivan, who co-wrote the band’s hit single “Eye of the Tiger,” is not happy that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley used the band’s hit track this week as she walked out to announce her run for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination.

Sullivan tells Billboard that his initial reaction when he discovered she used the tune was, “Stop using my f***ing song!”

“That song belongs with the Rocky franchise and they don’t ask because they’d get a no. Absolutely,” he said. 

“Eye of the Tiger” was the theme song to Rocky III, starring Sylvester Stallone, and went to number one for the band in 1982. In 2016 Sullivan sued Republican Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign for using the song at a rally without permission; Huckabee had to pay $25,000.

“I don’t care who it is, I don’t think it’s appropriate, especially with ‘Tiger,’ since it’s such a special song,” he said. “I have no idea why any politician would play that as a walk on. I would say you have to have balls … but in this situation that doesn’t apply.”

Finally, he notes, “I wish they would just stop this nonsense!”

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In a career full of awards and accolades, Sting has received one that really stands out.

Sting has been made a Fellow of The Ivors Academy, the body that presents The Ivor Novello Awards. These awards, which have been handed out since 1956, are the most prestigious music honor in the United Kingdom. They celebrate excellence in British and Irish songwriting, and are peer awards, voted on by other British and Irish songwriters and composers.

Sting has won seven Ivor Novello Awards, including a 2002 Lifetime Achievement Trophy, but being made an Academy Fellow is a bigger deal than that. In its 79-year history, the academy has only inducted 22 Fellows, including Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Elton John, Peter Gabriel, the members of the Bee Gees and Annie Lennox.

“Of all the awards in the world of music, The Ivors are for me, the most prestigious. Songwriting is a skilled craft and The Ivors Academy are its guild,” Sting says in a statement. “So, I am delighted and honored to be offered this Fellowship of the Academy, joining and acknowledging this extraordinary group of fellow songwriters, and all of those who went before us.”

In honor of the, well, honor, Amazon Music — the award ceremony’s new title sponsor — has released an exclusive demo version of “If It’s Love,” a song from Sting’s most recent album, The Bridge. 

The winners of this year’s Ivor Novello Awards will be announced May 18 in London. Nominations come out in April.

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of Queen’s self-titled debut album, and in a new interview, guitarist Brian May says things didn’t necessarily go the way the band wanted them to during the recording process.

“Our major frustration was the sound of that first album, which we were never happy with,” he tells Guitar World. He says the sound at Trident Studios, where they recorded it, “was very dead.”

“It was the opposite of what we were aiming for,” May adds. 

He says the album’s producer, Roy Thomas Baker, said the issues could be fixed during the mixing process, with May noting, “And I think we all knew: it ain’t going to happen!”

But even with the issues, May is still incredibly proud of the album.

“Oh, I love it! It encapsulates what we were at the time, and it’s a declaration of where we were going,” he says. “It’s very emotionally based and quite raw. But it’s got a lot of melody and sh**loads of harmonies.” 

He adds, “We were starting to flex our muscles. We were painting those colors with vocals and with guitars. It’s got all sorts of experimentation, which defines how free we wanted to be.”

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Guitar playing fans of The Grateful Dead can display their axes with the help of Jerry Garcia. Well, actually, his hand. 

Guitar.com reports that GuitarGrip has come out with a new guitar hanger that’s basically a replica of Garcia’s hand coming out from the wall and shaped so a guitar can easily rest inside it. The hanger is “inspired by existing photos and guidance from Jerry’s family,” and is finished with gold and wood accents.  

“GuitarGrips has created a beautiful homage to our father!” Jerry’s daughter Trixie shares. “Nearly as exquisite as Jerry’s playing, these grips rock.” Mike Ryan, founder of GuitarGrip, notes, “Jerry was one of a kind, and we worked really hard to bring his unique personality and the timeless vibe of his music into this series.”

But the hangers don’t come cheap — they’re priced between $235 and $295. There are other options priced significantly less, including four decorative wall plates inspired by Garcia’s famed Alligator, Tiger, Wolf and Rosebud guitars. They cost around $125. 

The Jerry Garcia collection is available now at guitargrip.com.

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The relationship between Metallica and Megadeth has always been complicated, but the latter’s Dave Mustaine may be reigniting the rivalry with his latest comments.

Speaking with Guitar World, Mustaine suggests that Metallica is avoiding doing a joint show or tour with Megadeth.

“The fact is simple: the world wants to see Megadeth and Metallica play together,” Mustaine says. “And in case anyone is wondering: there’s f***ing money in that. The fans want to see Metallica and Megadeth share the stage.”

As for making that a reality, Mustaine feels the ball is firmly in Metallica’s court.

“Does Megadeth need Metallica? No,” Mustaine says. “But Metallica talks about their fans, but they don’t give them what they’ve been asking for.”

“What are they afraid of?” he adds. “I don’t know. It’s not me; it’s them.”

Mustaine, of course, was Metallica’s original lead guitarist, but was replaced by Kirk Hammett after being fired from the band in 1983. He then went on to form Megadeth, which went on to join Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax as the “Big 4” of thrash metal.

The Big 4 did do a run of shows together in 2010 and 2011, and Slayer has since broken up. In an interview with Songfacts last year, Mustaine advocated for another Big 4 show, saying that Metallica should “step up” and make it happen.

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The relationship between Metallica and Megadeth has always been complicated, but the latter’s Dave Mustaine may be reigniting the rivalry with his latest comments.

Speaking with Guitar World, Mustaine suggests that Metallica is avoiding doing a joint show or tour with Megadeth.

“The fact is simple: the world wants to see Megadeth and Metallica play together,” Mustaine says. “And in case anyone is wondering: there’s f***ing money in that. The fans want to see Metallica and Megadeth share the stage.”

As for making that a reality, Mustaine feels the ball is firmly in Metallica’s court.

“Does Megadeth need Metallica? No,” Mustaine says. “But Metallica talks about their fans, but they don’t give them what they’ve been asking for.”

“What are they afraid of?” he adds. “I don’t know. It’s not me; it’s them.”

Mustaine, of course, was Metallica’s original lead guitarist, but was replaced by Kirk Hammett after being fired from the band in 1983. He then went on to form Megadeth, which went on to join Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax as the “Big 4” of thrash metal.

The Big 4 did do a run of shows together in 2010 and 2011, and Slayer has since broken up. In an interview with Songfacts last year, Mustaine advocated for another Big 4 show, saying that Metallica should “step up” and make it happen.

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