Classic Rock News

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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The Rolling Stones wrapped their Hackney Diamonds tour in Ridgedale, Missouri, Sunday night, treating fans to another set filled with classic tunes.

“That’s a wrap on the Stones Tour ‘24! A huge thank you to everyone that has come to see a show!” the band shared on Instagram. “And special thanks to all the outstanding musicians that join the Stones onstage, plus every crew member that works so hard to make this happen.”

Frontman Mick Jagger shared his own message, writing, “Thanks so much to everyone that has come to see us on this tour, we had an absolute blast! See you soon!”

Ronnie Wood posted, “Thank you Ridgedale and thank you North America!!! I loved wrapping up the tour last night in Missouri – the whole of the Hackney Diamonds tour has been incredible – thank you to everyone who came to see us!! Cannot wait to see you all again!!”

According to setlist.fm, as they have been doing all tour, The Stones opened with “Start Me Up,” with the rest of the set filled with fan favorites like “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” “Paint It Black,” “Sympathy for Devil,” “Gimme Shelter” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” “Let It Bleed” was the fan-voted song for the night.

The set also included three songs from their latest album, Hackney Diamonds: “Angry,” “Mess It Up” and “Sweet Sounds of Heaven.” Keith Richards took lead on three tunes, “You Got the Silver,” “Little T&A” and “Before They Make You Run.”

The Rolling Stones kicked off their Hackney Diamonds tour April 28 in Houston, with the trek hitting the U.S. and Canada. So far they haven’t announced any additional shows in any other countries.

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While most people buy an album for the music, some are drawn in by an album’s cover, and there are certainly some covers that have stood out more than the rest.

Rolling Stone has decided it’s time to highlight those standouts with its list of the 100 best album covers of all time, with plenty of classics making the grade.

While Joy Division’s 1979 album, Unknown Pleasures, tops the list, The Beatles are just behind them at #2 with Abbey Road. The mag calls the cover “the ultimate Beatles portrait: a sunny day in London, a crosswalk, the world’s four most confident young men walking in line.” 

Abbey Road is one of three Beatles covers to make the list, with Sgt. Peppers’ Lonely Hearts Club Band at #14 and The White Album at #23. 

Other iconic covers making the top 10 include Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon at #4, Patti Smith’s Horses at #6, The Clash’s London Calling at #8, Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual at #9 and Nirvana’s Nevermind at #10.

Also on the list are The Velvet Underground & Nico, Carole King’s Tapestry, The Who’s Who’s Next, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours and The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers. 

So, if these are some of the best, what are the worst? Rolling Stone has some opinions on that, too. Landing on top of the 50 Worst Album Covers of All Time list is Limp Bizkit’s Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, with Roger Daltrey’s Ride a Rock Horse, with a picture of Daltrey as a centaur, in at #2.

Other bad covers include Crosby, Stills & Nash’s Live It Up, Three Dog Night’s Hard Labor, Van Halen’s Balance, Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet and Billy Joel’s River of Dreams, with The Beatles also recognized for Revolver at #37.

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There’s no doubt by the looks of him that Lenny Kravitz is a healthy guy, and he wants to keep his fans healthy as well.

One way he hopes to do that is with a new collaboration with Pressed Juicery, which is now offering a special-edition Blue Electric Light Lemonade. It celebrates Lenny’s most recent album, Blue Electric Light, and tour.

“Wellness is a vibe,” Lenny shares on Instagram. “This vibrant lemonade captures the essence and energy of Blue Electric Light while promoting inner health.” He adds, “Grab yours at select Pressed Juicery locations in NYC, LA, OC, Las Vegas and Austin to experience it for yourself.”

Lenny released Blue Electric Light in May. He’s currently on tour in Europe, with his next show happening in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on Sunday. He brings his show to the U.S. for a five-night stand at Dolby Live in Las Vegas starting Oct. 18. A complete list of dates can be found at lennykravitz.com.

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