Classic Rock News

On This Day, March 27, 1979…

Eric Clapton married Pattie Boyd, ex-wife of his good friend, The Beatle‘s George Harrison, in Tucson, Arizona. 

The two met while Clapton and Harrison were writing music together in the late ‘60s and Clapton fell in love with Boyd. Songs on the Derek and the Dominos album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, including the iconic track Layla, were inspired by his love for Boyd.

Boyd eventually left Harrison in 1974, and she and Clapton subsequently married, all the while remaining good friends with Harrison.

But Clapton and Boyd’s relationship had problems. The rocker was an alcoholic during their time together and he even admitted to abusing her and being unfaithful. Boyd left him in 1987, and they were divorced in 1989.

Earlier this month, Boyd auctioned off several personal items, including love letters written to her by Clapton. She made over $3.6 million from the auction.

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Chad Smith and Lars Ulrich will be turning it up to 11 in the This Is Spinal Tap sequel.

According to Deadline, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica drummers will make cameos in the upcoming film, which continues the story of the fictional metal band Spinal Tap.

If you’ve seen the original 1984 movie, then you’ll recall that the drummers for Spinal Tap have a history of dying in strange, grisly ways, including by spontaneous combustion and in a “bizarre gardening accident.” So perhaps Smith and Ulrich’s characters will continue that tradition in the sequel.

Smith, by the way, has previously collaborated with actor Harry Shearer on his 2023 album as his Spinal Tap character, Derek Smalls.

Original cast members Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean will be returning for the sequel, as will director Rob Reiner. Musicians including Paul McCartney and Elton John are also set to appear in the film.

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A planned movie about Bruce Springsteen’s effort to make the 1982 solo album Nebraska may have found the man to play The Boss. 

Deadline was the first to report that The Bear star Jeremy Allen White is the frontrunner to play Springsteen in the movie Deliver Me From Nowhere, an adaptation of Warren Zanes’ 2023 book about the making of the album. 

Crazy Heart writer/director Scott Cooper is writing the film, with plans to direct, and shooting is expected to begin this fall in New Jersey.

Nebraska, released in September 30, 1982, featured 10 acoustic songs that Springsteen originally recorded as demos on a four-track recorder. Springsteen had planned to rerecord the songs with the E Street Band but instead opted to release it as a solo acoustic record.

Nebraska peaked at #3 on the Billboard chart, with its biggest hit being “Atlantic City,” which reached #10.

Some of the songs on the demo that didn’t make it on Nebraska were later rerecorded with the band and wound up on Springsteen’s multi-Platinum #1 record, Born in the U.S.A.

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Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band are set to play the Sea.Hear.Now festival in their old stomping grounds of Asbury Park, New Jersey, on September 15 and the festival’s creator, photographer Danny Clinch, is opening up to Rolling Stone about how it happened.

Springsteen made a surprise appearance at the festival in the past, but Clinch, who’s photographed the rocker several times, says he set his sights on trying to get The Boss to headline this year after realizing Bruce’s current tour ended on the East Coast right before the festival.

“So we’re like, ‘Oh man, this looks like a good opportunity to hit him up,’” Clinch shares. “And I happen to be over [at] his place. And I said, ‘Man, I was looking at your schedule, and we would love to have you at our Sea.Hear.Now show,’ and he’s like, ‘Yeah, that’d be cool.’”

Clinch adds, “Then later I was back in the studio, and he just turned to me at one point and he was like, ‘I’m gonna do the thing on the beach. I’m going to Sea.Hear.Now. I want to bring the band on the beach. This could be incredible.’”  

With fellow New Jersey natives Trey Anastasio and The Gaslight Anthem playing just ahead of Bruce, Clinch is certainly hoping fans will get to see some fun collaborations.  

“Yeah, I mean, it’s happened before. It is kind of a family block party in a sense right now, because Trey is from Princeton,” Clinch says. “He’s just like, ‘You gotta be kidding me. This is amazing.’”

Clinch adds, “And you know, Gaslight into Bruce — it’s insane. It’s a New Jersey dream right there.”

Sea.Hear.Now is going down September 14-15 on the beach in Asbury Park. Tickets are sold out. A complete lineup can be found at seahearnowfestival.com.

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Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo have announced a new set of tour dates for 2024. 

The pair is set to kick off the Fantastic 2024 tour on May 10 in Lincoln, California. The 21-date trek will hit such cities as New York, Atlantic City, Indianapolis, Denver, Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., before wrapping August 16 in Airway Heights, Washington.

A ticket presale starts Thursday, March 28, at 10 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public starting Friday, March 29, at 10 a.m. A complete list of dates can be found at benatargiraldo.com.

Benatar and Giraldo spent quite a bit of time on the road last year, including solo shows and dates on Pink’s Summer Carnival tour. In January they appeared on an episode of the PBS series Austin City Limits performing such songs as “Promises In The Dark,” “Shadows Of The Night,” “Hell Is For Children” and “Love Is A Battlefield.”

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Stray Cats are returning to the road this summer with a new tour that will have band members Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom back together for the first time since 2019.

The tour kicks off July 27 in Woodinville, Washington, with dates in San Diego, Denver, New York, Atlantic City and more, before wrapping August 17 in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

“I’ve always said that we all grew up in the same neighborhood, so there’s an instant feeling between us when we play,” Setzer shares. “It allows us to be confident and spontaneous. Man, that’s priceless.”

Slim Jim adds, “I’m thrilled to be doing shows in 2024 with Stray Cats in the U.S.A.! Playing drums with Brian and Lee in our rockabilly band is the best possible way to spend a summer!”

Stray Cats previously reunited in 2019 for a tour that celebrated their 40th anniversary. They followed the tour with a new live album, Rocked This Town: From La To London, in 2020.

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

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“I’m Still Standing,” a song Elton John first released back in 1983, has truly lived up to its title, as it joins Spotify’s Billions club.

“Wonderful to see ‘I’m Still Standing’ hit 1 billion streams on @Spotify!” Elton wrote on Instagram. “This track has had such a life and whether you know it for its empowering lyrics, the legendary dance moves from the music video, or @taron.egerton’s rendition as Johnny HD in Sing, it makes me so happy to see it being enjoyed by so many.”

On his Instagram Story, Elton also shared a post showing a tiny little kid waking up and commanding his smart speaker device to “play ‘I’m Still Standing’ song.” For some reason it plays Taron Egerton‘s version, not Elton’s.

“I’m Still Standing” is from Elton’s 1983 album Two Low for Zero. While it’s now seen as an anthem about Elton’s decadeslong career, the song was actually written by his musical partner, Bernie Taupin, as a kiss-off to an old girlfriend.

The iconic video for the song was filmed in the south of France. One of the dancers in the video is Bruno Tonioli, who went on to judge ABC’s Dancing the Stars. In his autobiography, Me, Elton tells the story of how, while in Cannes for the shoot, he ran into Duran Duran and they all got wrecked on martinis.

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David Byrne and Devo are among the artists contributing songs to a new compilation album raising money to benefit abortion access and reproductive rights.

Put out by the nonprofit organization Noise for Now, the album, Noise For Now Vol. 2, also features songs from Courtney Barnett, The War On Drugs, Faye Webster and Big Freedia.

“We are so grateful to work with these incredible artists to raise money and awareness for independent abortion clinics throughout the U.S.,” Noise for Now Executive Director Amelia Bauer shares. “We know that when the artists and performers we love speak openly and unapologetically about abortion, abortion is stripped of its stigma. We believe that we can shape our future with art, community, and collective action.” 

Noise For Now Vol. 2 will be released digitally and on limited-edition vinyl on June 21 to coincide with the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Proceeds will benefit independent abortion providers in the country, with 90% of all money raised going directly to reproductive health, rights and justice organizations.

Noise For Now Vol. 1 was released in November as a vinyl-only limited-edition album. It featured contributions from Maya Hawke, My Morning Jacket and more. Songs on the album originally appeared on the compilation Good Music To Ensure Safe Abortion Access To All, which was released digitally in 2022 via Bandcamp. It raised over $230,000.

Here is the track list for Noise For Now Vol. 2. It is available for preorder now.

“Dead From the Waist Down” – Julia Jacklin 
“Boxing Day Blues” – Courtney Barnett
“It’s Too Late” – Becca Mancari
“Victim” – The War On Drugs
“High School” – MC50 ft. Arrow De Wilde
“Everything Is Change” – AJ Haynes (of Seratones)
“Spare Tire” – Claud
“Thinking About You” – Faye Webster
“Hot Gum” – SOFIA ISELLA
“Empire” – David Byrne and Devo 
“Hotlatta” – Big Freedia

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Bruce Springsteen has been chosen as the next Academy Fellow of The Ivors Academy, the U.K. organization that presents The Ivor Novello Awards, which celebrate excellence in British and Irish songwriting.

Springsteen is now the first international songwriter to earn a fellowship, which is the highest honor handed out by the Ivors. He is being recognized for his “outstanding contribution to the craft of songwriting” and “his impact on the U.K.’s cultural landscape.”

“I’m proud to be the first international songwriter to be recognized by The Ivors Academy,” The Boss shares. “In addition to recognizing my songwriting, the award stands as a tribute to the fans and friends who have supported me and my work for the last fifty years.”

He adds, “This entire country has made me feel welcome every step of the way, and for this, I will always remain deeply appreciative.”

Springsteen is now the 27th Ivors Fellow. Other artists who have received the honor include Sting, Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Elton John and Peter Gabriel.

To celebrate the new honor, Springsteen is releasing a limited edition vinyl of his upcoming compilation, The Best of Bruce Springsteen, in Jersey Devil Red through Amazon, which is the sponsor of The Ivors ceremony. 

Springsteen will be presented with his honor at The Ivors, taking place May 23 in London. Nominees for the Ivor Novello Awards will be announced on April 23.

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Peter Gabriel celebrated the 25th anniversary of his iconic album So on tour back in 2013, and fans will now be able to relive the experience with the 4K Ultra High Definition Blu-ray release of Back to Front – Live in London.

Originally released in June 2014, Back to Front – Live in London was shot over two nights at London’s O2 Arena in October 2013. The concerts had Gabriel reuniting with his original So touring band from 1986/87 to play the album in its entirety for the very first time.

In addition to every song on So, the concert features performances Gabriel classics like “Solsbury Hill,” “In Your Eyes,” “Digging In the Dirt,” “Shock the Monkey” and “Biko.” It also includes a performance of “Daddy Long Legs,” which at the time was a previously unheard and unfinished piece. It wound up being an early rendition of the song “Playing for Time,” which appeared on Gabriel’s 2023 album, i/o.  It also features a performance of the Us track “Secret World,” which is now available on YouTube.

In addition to the concert, the Blu-ray includes a special bonus feature, The Visual Approach, which gives fans a behind-the-scenes look into the creation of the concert. 

Back to Front – Live in London will be released on 4K Ultra High Definition Blu-ray on May 10. It is available for preorder now.

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