Classic Rock News

Deep Purple has shared another new single from their upcoming album, =1.

The latest is the track “Lazy Sod,” the third song they’ve released from the album, following “Pictures of You” and “Portable Door.” 

You can listen to “Lazy Sod” now via digital outlets.

=1, Deep Purple’s first album of new material since 2020’s Whoosh!, will be released July 19. According to the press release, the title “symbolizes the idea that in a world growing ever more complex, everything eventually simplifies down to a single, unified essence. Everything equals one.”  

It is available for preorder now. 

Deep Purple, currently made up of frontman Ian Gillan, bassist Roger Glover, drummer Ian Paice, keyboardist Don Airey and guitarist Simon McBride, will kick off their North American =1 More Time tour on Aug. 14 in Hollywood, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at deeppurple.com.

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On This Day, July 3, 1971 …

The Doors frontman Jim Morrison was found dead in a bathtub in his apartment in Paris, France. He was discovered by his girlfriend, Pam Courson.

Morrison was 27 at the time of his death, with the official cause of death listed as heart failure, although there have been conspiracy theories surrounding his death for years.

He was buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, where both Oscar Wilde and Édith Piaf are buried. The location has since become a tourist attraction. 

Morrison co-founded The Doors with Ray Manzarek in July 1965. Drummer John Densmore joined in August of that year, followed by guitarist Robby Krieger.

The band released their self-titled debut in January 1967, containing future classics “Light My Fire” and “Break On Through (To The Other Side).” “Light My Fire” has since been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, with the album chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2015. 

The Doors went on to sell over 34 million records worldwide and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea is taking things back to Spice World with a throwback photo from his daughter’s 10th birthday during the ’90s.

The picture, posted to Instagram, features Flea, frontman Anthony Kiedis and guitarist John Frusciante dressed up as the Spice Girls members Baby, Posh and Sporty Spice, respectively. 

“The great Chris Warren [RHCP drum tech and touring member] was Scary Spice but sadly he is cropped out of this photo, trust me he looked beautiful,” Flea writes in the caption.

The bassist adds, “We practiced our moves seriously and gave the kids our best performance!”

Maybe RHCP will pull their Spice Girls costumes back out during their ongoing U.S. tour, which supports their two 2022 albums, Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen.

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Guitarist Mike Campbell is currently out on the road with his band The Dirty Knobs, and fans who come to see them can expect him to revisit his days with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Campbell tells ABC Audio that now that he’s recorded three albums with The Dirty Knobs, including their recent release, Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits, the set list is mostly filled with that material, but he also includes three or four Petty songs each night.

“I like doing those songs now and it’s always good for the audience, too,” he shares, “and I feel close to Tom when we do them … it’s a spiritual thing.”

Campbell says he feels “very comfortable” singing the tunes he recorded with Petty, because nobody knows them better. 

“I know there’s a lot better singers than me out there, but if it’s a song that Tom and I wrote together, I understand how it’s supposed to sound and how it’s supposed to be delivered, the personality of it, maybe more than somebody who’s a proper singer,” he shares. “I know how to present the songs the way they’re supposed to feel.” 

And while Petty may no longer be with us, Campbell knows that by continuing to perform his music he’s keeping the legacy alive for fans. 

“You know, songs are magical and a good song will live, you know, and bad songs will just fade away,” he says. “And I think we’ve got a lot of good material that will last a long time.”

Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs’ tour hits Des Moines, Iowa, on July 3, with dates confirmed through Aug. 16. A complete schedule can be found at thedirtyknobs.com.

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Devon Allman is back with new music.

The musician, son of Gregg Allman and member of the Allman Betts Band, will release the new album Miami Moon on Aug. 16. The record will be Devon’s first solo album since 2016’s Ride or Die.

The album was recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida, where the Allman Brothers Band‘s Eat a Peach and Eric Clapton’s Layla were recorded, with Devon noting the history of the studio “made for a very special setting for us all to work in.”

“We kept it fun and we kept it funky … we ordered Cuban food, watched the NBA and jammed in a circle for days,” he adds. “In a world where you can make records in the basement or your bedroom, I’m so grateful to have done this record in a classic manner.” 

Devon is set to give fans a preview of the record with the release of the first single, “White Horse,” which will be released Thursday.

Miami Moon is available for preorder now.

In the meantime, Devon has dates throughout July with both the Devon Allman Project and the Allman Betts Band. A complete list of dates can be found at devonallmanproject.com.

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Heart’s Ann Wilson has revealed that she is battling cancer, and the band has postponed their upcoming tour in order to give her time to recover.

“I recently underwent an operation to remove something that, as it turns out, was cancerous,” she shares on social media. “The operation was successful & I’m feeling great but my doctors are now advising me to undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and & I’ve decided to do it.”

“And so my doctors are instructing me to take the rest of the year away from the stage in order to fully recover,” she adds. 

Earlier this year, Heart announced they were postponing their European Royal Flush tour in order for Ann to have what they called “a time-sensitive but routine medical procedure.” They’ve now postponed the rest of the tour.

“To the ticket buyers, I really do wish we could do these gigs,” she writes. “Please know that I absolutely plan to be back on stage in 2025.”

In a separate post, Heart encouraged fans to hold on to their tickets, which will be valid for future rescheduled dates.

“Thank you all for the support,” Ann concludes. “This is merely a pause. I’ve much more to sing.”

Heart was due to kick off the second leg of their Royal Flush tour in August. They were also set to open a handful of dates on the Def Leppard/Journey Summer Stadium tour, which kicks off July 6.

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Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Morrison‘s collaborative single “Crack Cocaine” has cracked the top of rock radio.

The track, which premiered in March, has hit #1 on the Mediabase Active Rock chart, which measures the most-played songs on rock radio each week.

“I’m overjoyed that ‘Crack Cocaine’ is number one at rock radio,” Ozzy says. “And, of course, I’m even happier for my friend Billy Morrison.”

“Crack Cocaine” appears on Morrison’s new solo album, The Morrison Project. The record also sees the Billy Idol guitarist collaborate with Slipknot‘s Corey Taylor, Steve Vai and Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5.

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Rush has paid tribute to their late producer Peter Collins, who passed away recently at the age of 73.

Collins produced four Rush albums: 1985’s Power Windows, 1987’s Hold Your Fire, 1993’s Counterparts and 1996’s Test for Echo. 

“We loved seeing him in Nashville when we came through on tour. He had a mischievous, beaming smile and great sense of humour,” the band writes. “He will be so missed…. RIP Mr. Big.”

Frontman Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson also shared personal tributes on their Instagram accounts, with Geddy calling Collins “a dear, dear friend.”

“During periods in the 80’s and 90’s [sic] we had some incredible musical adventures together, in various studios across the globe. He truly was our Mr. Big…with his ever present cigar and constant good humour,” he writes. “After hitting the record button, I can still hear him say ‘OK boys, from the topping … no stopping!'”

Lifeson added, “Peter Collins will forever live in my memory as Mr. Big, sitting at his control centre beside a recording console with his ubiquitous tools: a legal pad, an ashtray and a Monte Cristo No. 2.”

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On This Day, July 2, 2001 …

Twenty-one years after his death, Liverpool renamed Speke Airport after the late Beatle John Lennon, who was born and raised in the U.K. city.

Now known as Liverpool John Lennon Airport, the international airport was the first in the U.K. to be named after an individual.

The airport features a 7-foot-tall bronze statue of the rock legend, with the “Imagine” lyric “above us, only sky” painted on the airport’s roof. It also features a “Yellow Submarine” work of art, and an exhibit of photos of The Beatles in India.

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