Classic Rock News

Fans of King Crimson now have more chances to check out the BEAT tour, which will celebrate the band’s ’80s-era music. After numerous stops on the originally announced itinerary sold out, more shows have been added to the trek. 

As previously reported, the tour features former King Crimson members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin, along with guitar great Steve Vai and Tool drummer Danny Carey, reinterpreting three King Crimson albums – 1981’s Discipline, 1982’s Beat and 1984’s Three Of A Perfect Pair. They were also the first three albums to feature Belew and Levin.

A total of 21 new BEAT dates have been announced: the new shows stretch from Nov. 18 in Thousand Oaks, California, to Dec. 18 in Highland, California, with dates scattered across the rest of the U.S. in between. The tour kicks off Sept. 12 in San Jose, California.

“The 1981 through 1984 King Crimson created a music all its own. Timeless. Beautiful. Complex. Fierce,” Belew shares. “For the fans who lived through it then, and the ones who never got to witness it, our aim is to bring it to life again. A monumental task but we’re going for it! There are not enough exclamation points to express my excitement!”

Levin adds, “This is going to be quite a tour. Revisiting some of my favorite music is a treat in itself, but in company of this stellar lineup, I expect to have my musical butt kicked!”

A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at beat-tour.com.

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Ozzy Osbourne stars in a new ad for the metal-themed canned water company Liquid Death.

The commercial begins with two kids pouring Liquid Death’s Death Dust electrolyte drink mix into their beverage when the Prince of Darkness rolls up.

“Death Dust? Take it from me, don’t snort that stuff!” Ozzy tells the impressionable youngsters, who respond that they have no desire to do to Death Dust what the “Crazy Train” metaller may or may not have done to a line of ants.

“We weren’t planning on snorting it,” the kids say. “We’re gonna mix it with water and hydrate!”

Ozzy, however, has more advice to share.

“Whatever you do, don’t try freebasing it,” he continues. “And never, ever inject it.”

Liquid Death writes in a description for the ad, “Hey kids, Ozzy knows best. Take it from a guy who knows a thing or two about bad decisions: Liquid Death’s more intensely flavored Death Dust hydration powder is much safer when you mix it with water and drink it.”

You can watch the commercial on YouTube.

Liquid Death previously put out an ad soundtracked by a cover of the Judas Priest classic “Breaking the Law,” and has teamed up with blink-182‘s Travis Barker to sell a signature, um, enema kit.

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Peter Frampton is hitting the road again this fall. 

The rocker announced dates for The Positively Thankful Tour, sharing on social media that he called it that “because I got nominated and you guys voted and you got me into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Thank you so much.”

Frampton is set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in October. He’ll hit the road before the big day, with the tour kicking off Sept. 8 in North Charleston, South Carolina. 

The trek includes a show at New York’s Beacon Theatre and will also hit Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia before wrapping Sept. 23 in Northfield, Ohio.

A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at Frampton.com. 

The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction will take place live on Oct. 19 at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The ceremony will stream live on Disney+, followed by a special airing on ABC at a later date.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Last year Bernie Taupin, who’s been writing the lyrics for Elton John‘s hits for more than 50 years, published his autobiography, Scattershot. But fans will soon have a chance to learn even more about the man behind the songs: a documentary is in the works, focusing on his life and career.

According to a press release, the film will “dive deep into the roots of Bernie’s creativity.” It features new interviews with artists like Ringo Starr, Annie Lennox, The Who‘s Pete Townshend, Metallica‘s James Hetfield, Alice Cooper and Brandi Carlile, as well as archival content.

Director Matthew Miele says in a statement, “I think many people are unaware that the phenomenon that is Elton John is really two people. And as talented and flamboyant as the melody maker of that duo has become, one can’t help but be curious about the one who writes the words, the storyteller.”

Bernie, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Elton last year, adds, “Reticent as I am to scrutiny, this project has been enlightening both on an emotional and analytical level. The originality of all parties involved has made participating in it much easier as I loosen my grip on the cards I hold closest to my chest.”

There’s no word yet on when we can expect the documentary, or where it will be screened or streamed. As previously reported, Elton John: Never Too Late, a new doc about Elton, will have its world premiere gala screening at September’s Toronto International Film Festival.

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Def Leppard just released the video for their latest single, “Just Like 73,” featuring Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello.

The clip, which takes place in May 1973, features computer-generated younger versions of the guys in the band as they head to Earl’s Court in London, with Morello flying to the U.K. and parachuting in just in time for his guitar solo. 

Guitarist Phil Collen tells ABC Audio that director Frank Gryner didn’t base their looks on actual old footage of him and his bandmates.

“I think I did look like that around 14, you know, that was kind of interesting,” Collen says. “He kind of pretty much nailed it without even seeing the photos from then.” 

Collen says the band liked the video because it was “quaint” and “didn’t seem like it was trying too hard.” 

He adds that the director also got all the details for the time right, noting, “That little bike that I’m riding is a Chopper, which all the kids had on my block and around my area in East London when I grew up.” 

And fans will soon get to hear the band play the song live. Def Leppard is set to launch their summer stadium tour with Journey July 6 in St. Louis, with the band noting, “We can’t wait to play this one for you all on the tour!”

A complete list of dates can be found defleppard.com.

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A new lawsuit has been filed in Los Angeles accusing Warner Music of stealing footage for the 2021 Tom Petty documentary, Somewhere You Feel Free.

Filmmaker Martyn Atkins claims in his lawsuit he was hired in 1994 as art director for Petty’s solo album Wildflowers, and would “on his own volition and at his own cost” film Petty while making the album. He says he and the rocker would discuss possibly making a documentary from his footage, although it never happened due to Petty’s 2017 death.

The suit says in 2020 he met with the Petty Estate and the rocker’s daughter Adria Petty and they discussed a possible Wildflowers documentary, with him as a producer and director. He claims they discussed the location of his footage, which he shared. The footage had been stored at Warner Records because in 2014 Petty offered to hold it for him “for safekeeping” while Atkins was moving.

Atkins says after that initial meeting he never met with anyone again, and then in 2021 the documentary premiered with “a shocking 45 minutes” of the 90-minute film made up of his footage, which he insists he’s “the exclusive owner and author” of. He says the doc also incorrectly claimed the footage was “discovered” when he always knew where it was.

“The Film’s producers did not seek or obtain consent from Atkins to use his copyrighted footage,” reads the lawsuit, adding, “Defendants not only stole and misappropriated the Works, but also deprived Atkins of the opportunity of creating (and thus becoming ‘the filmmaker who brought you’) the project Atkins largely filmed and which he had always envisioned.”

Atkins is suing Warner for copyright infringement, and is seeking actual and compensatory damages, as well as an accounting of profits for the film and more.

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The Who’s rock opera Quadrophenia is coming to the stage again, this time as a ballet.

Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet will be directed by Rob Ashford and will feature the orchestral version of the album by Pete Townshend’s wife, Rachel Fuller, recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It will feature a large cast of dancers, with choreography by Paul Roberts.

Quadrophenia was released in 1973 and written entirely by Townshend; it was The Who’s second full rock opera following 1969’s Tommy. It featured such classic songs as “The Real Me,” “Love Reign O’er Me” and “5:15.” 

The story, set in Brighton, England, in 1965, follows a young working-class mod named Jimmy on a journey of self-discovery. The album’s title was inspired by Jimmy’s four-way “split personality,” with each member of the band representing a different facet of that personality.

Like Tommy, Quadrophenia inspired a film, but unlike Tommy, it was a drama, not a musical. Released in 1979 to critical acclaim and commercial success, it starred Phil Daniels as Jimmy, with The Police’s Sting as Ace Face.

Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet is set to tour the U.K., starting in Plymouth at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, where it will run from May 28 to June 1. It will open at London’s Sadler’s Wells on June 24 and run through July 13. 

A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at modballet.com.

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On This Day, June 25, 1966 …

The Beatles topped the Billboard singles chart with “Paperback Writer,” which spent two nonconsecutive weeks at #1. The song also topped the chart in the U.K., Ireland, West Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Norway. 

McCartney wrote most of the song’s lyrics. He said he was inspired to write it after his aunt complained that he wrote too many love songs and asked why he didn’t write about a “horse or the summit conference or something interesting.”

“Paperback Writer” was released as a single with “Rain” as its B-side, and later appeared on the 1970 compilation album Hey Jude in the U.S. and Canada. 

The tune is known for its boosted bass guitar sound, which Lennon reportedly wanted after wondering why Wilson Pickett’s record had more bass than any Beatles album. 

The track was the only new song The Beatles performed during their final 1966 tour.

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The solo work of Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson is the subject of a new box set coming in August.

The limited-edition 10-LP box set, 8314 Boxed, will include the first-time vinyl releases of 1995’s Divinities: Twelve Dances with God, 2000’s The Secret Language of Birds and 2003’s Rupi’s Dance. It will also include half speed masters of 1983’s Walk Into Light and 2014’s Homo Erraticus, with the Divinities: Twelve Dances with God LP also a half speed master.

There’s also 2012’s Thick as a Brick 2, which was a sequel to Jethro Tull’s 1972 album, Thick as a Brick, and Roaming in the Gloaming, an LP of previously unreleased live recordings from 1995 to 2007, plus a 96-page book with a foreword by Anderson. 

“Since 1983, I have made a few solo albums, not as dissatisfaction with fellow musicians or the group identity but usually just to try something a bit different, whether sonically, stylistically or in terms of instrumental line-up,” Anderson shares. “These records all stand out for me as being quite different from each other and in some ways demonstrate a broader depth of my songwriting. The flute instrumental Divinities record is one of my favorites to this day.”

8314 Boxed will be released Aug. 23 and is available for preorder now.

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Gibson is celebrating Jeff Beck on what would have been the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s 80th birthday.

The guitar company just debuted the new Jeff Beck “Yardburst” 1959 Les Paul Standard in a dark cherry red sunburst finish, aged to match the guitar Jeff played during his time with the Yardbirds. Described as a “faithful recreation” of Jeff’s guitar, only 130 are being hand made by the experts at the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville in honor of Gibson’s 130th anniversary. 

“Jeff was enormously proud to have owned the original of this guitar,” says Beck’s wife, Sandra Beck. “He was aware and fully supportive of the amazing job and love that Gibson Custom provided to create this instrument and would have hoped that this guitar will give hours of pleasure to those who play it.”

“Jeff was a trailblazer, the guitar hero of our guitar heroes and admired by his contemporaries,” Cesar Gueikian, CEO of Gibson, adds. “Jeff played an instrumental role in the cultural significance of the Gibson Les Paul early in his career during the Yardbursts’ era. Just like Jeff was influenced by Les Paul, he influenced many iconic musicians to create their art with a Gibson Les Paul. We are proud to pay tribute to Jeff.”

The Jeff Beck “Yardburst” 1959 Les Paul Standard sells for almost $10,000. More info can be found at gibson.com.

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