Classic Rock News

To make it to the Oscars, Slash needed to pull a Taylor Swift.

Just like the pop superstar hopped on a last-minute jet from Tokyo to see boyfriend Travis Kelce win the Super Bowl, the Guns N’ Roses shredder fit in a flight to Los Angeles in between tour dates in Asia to take part in Ryan Gosling‘s instantly iconic performance of the Barbie song “I’m Just Ken” during Hollywood’s biggest night.

“I flew to LA from Korea, got to the Kodak Theater, got rushed into this crazy mayhem situation which is the Oscars, and we did a quick run through with Ryan Gosling singing and all these guys dancing around, and then went backstage,” Slash tells Classic Rock magazine. “I sat in the audience with all the other actors for the ceremony, then got up and played the song, got in a car, went back to the airport and flew to the Philippines.”

Slash played on the studio version of “I’m Just Ken,” as did Wolfgang Van Halen, who also took part in the Oscars performance. While the two guitarists definitely brought the riffs, Slash maintains that Gosling was the number’s real star.

“Ryan was really cool, I had no idea what to expect,” Slash says. “We hung out backstage, and he sung the s*** out of the song — I’ve got to give him kudos, he made that whole production happen.”

Meanwhile, Slash is preparing to release a new blues covers album, Orgy of the Damned, on May 17, and launch a U.S. tour in July. Guests on the record include AC/DC‘s Brian Johnson, Iggy Pop, Demi Lovato, Gary Clark Jr. and ZZ Top‘s Billy F Gibbons.

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March marks the 50th anniversary of Aerosmith‘s album Get Your Wings, and in honor of the milestone, the band is releasing a whole slew of new stuff.

First, there’s a limited-edition vinyl, due out May 17. To match the year of release, there will only be 1,974 copies, each pressed on gold sparkle vinyl with an embossed gold foil jacket. In addition to the album, the package includes an Aerosmith logo sticker and a replica of a vintage ad. You can preorder the vinyl now.

In addition, there’s a whole line of new merchandise and clothing, also available on May 17. You can check out all the pieces on Aerosmith’s online store: they range from bomber jackets, tees and tanks to banners, wallets and blankets. There’s also a line of Get Your Wings-branded sterling silver jewelry, including rings, pendants and earrings.

Get Your Wings, which is RIAA certified triple Platinum, was Aerosmith’s first collaboration with producer Jack Douglas, who helped the band develop what’s now considered their classic sound. It includes “Same Old Song and Dance,” “Lord of the Thighs” and the band’s cover of blues classic “Train Kept A-Rollin.'”

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Ozzy Osbourne is currently #2 on the fan ballot vote for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but he’s not booking his flight to Cleveland just yet.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, Ozzy says his nomination has “been driving me mad.” 

“It’s an honor that I’m nominated, but I’m not expecting to get in,” he says. “There’s Mariah Carey, there’s Cher, Lenny Kravitz. I’m up against some serious people. If I get in, I get in. If I don’t, I don’t.” Of course, Ozzy is already in the hall: He was inducted in 2006 as a member of Black Sabbath.

Ozzy also tells Rolling Stone that lately he’s been painting and waiting for Andrew Watt, who produced his Grammy-winning 2022 album Patient Number 9, to call him. “He’s been working with Lady Gaga. I’m dying to make more music,” says Ozzy.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Darkness is unsure about a return to the stage. “I would love to, but I can’t stand upright,” he tells Rolling Stone. “Maybe I’ll do something one day. I miss it terribly.” He said if he’s inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he “maybe” will do a short set at the ceremony: “We’ll see.”

As previously reported, you can currently hear the metal icon singing on “Crack Cocaine,” a collaborative single with Billy Idol guitarist Billy Morrison, who Ozzy calls “my best friend.”

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Elton John‘s latest musical will hit Broadway on October 19, and tickets are going on sale the last week of March.

The musical, Tammy Faye, was a hit in London last year and is coming to Broadway’s Palace Theatre, with previews starting October 19. The tickets go on sale to the public on March 27, but members of Elton’s Rocket Club can access a presale now.

Tammy Faye stars Katie Brayben and Andrew Rannells as real-life televangelists Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker, who built a media empire with their TV show The PTL Club. After Bakker was sent to prison for fraud and conspiracy in 1989, Tammy Faye divorced him and married megachurch builder Roe Messner.

Known for her glamorous image and layers of makeup, Tammy Faye, who died in 2007, became a gay icon by preaching compassion for people with HIV/AIDS and support for the LGBTQ community. Jessica Chastain won an Oscar for playing her in the 2021 movie The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

Elton wrote the music for the show, while Jake Shears of the group Scissor Sisters wrote the lyrics. The musical, which premiered last fall, was nominated for four Olivier Awards, the U.K. equivalent of the Tony Awards.

“Broadway is the place where the greatest stories are told,” Elton says in a video announcing the news. “And Tammy Faye’s story was made for the stage. … Sharing this with you, here, feels like coming home.”

Elton’s other musicals include Billy Elliott, The Lion King and Aida, as well as Lestat, which flopped in 2006. He also has a musical version of The Devil Wears Prada coming to London’s West End this year.

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After removing her music from Spotify in 2022 in solidarity with her old friend and fellow Canadian icon Neil Young, Joni Mitchell‘s classic albums are back on the streaming service.

As previously reported, Young pulled his music from Spotify in January 2022, accusing the service of “spreading fake information” about the COVID-19 vaccine by hosting The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. In a recent post on his Archives website, he announced its return, writing, “My decision comes as music services Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I had opposed at SPOTIFY.”

Young added that he can’t leave Apple and Amazon “because my music would have very little streaming outlet to music lovers at all.” He added, “I hope all you millions of Spotify users enjoy my songs! They will now all be there for you except for the full sound we created.”

He also expressed his hope Spotify would improve its sound quality so “people will be able to hear and feel all the music as we made it.”

Mitchell hasn’t commented on the return of her music, but as Billboard points out, it was never 100% absent from Spotify. Her classic albums, like Blue, Ladies of the Canyon and Court and Spark, disappeared, but her ’80s and early ’90s releases, like Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm, Night Ride Home and Wild Things Run Fast, were still available. 

Billboard reported in 2022 that following Mitchell’s announcement of the removal, songs from those albums saw a nearly 500% streaming increase.

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There are more than 60 artists playing on Mark Knopfler‘s all-star charity single “Going Home (Theme from Local Hero,” but now that the official video is out, you can see who is playing what, and when.

As the song plays, the name of each guitarist you hear appears on screen, starting with the late Jeff Beck. It was his final recording before his death in January 2023. The animated names come together and blend in digital animation, since many guitarists are heard playing simultaneously.

The song also features Ringo Starr and his son Zak Starkey on drums, Sting on bass, The Who‘s Roger Daltrey on harmonica and Journey‘s Jonathan Cain on keyboards.

Among the other artists you’ll hear on the song: The Who’s Pete Townshend, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, Queen’s Brian May, Rush’s Alex Lifeson, Joan Jett, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, the Eagles’ Joe Walsh, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Joan Jett, Cheap Trick‘s Rick Nielsen, Dave Mason, Nile Rodgers, Mike Rutherford of Genesis and The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood.

“Going Home” is a remake of Knopfler’s own tune, which appeared in the 1983 film Local Hero. Credited to Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes, the song will raise money for the U.K.’s Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America. 

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend founded TCA in 2012. It funds and develops age-specific facilities, programs and services for teenagers and young adults with cancer in hospitals across the country.

The single features cover art designed by legendary British pop artist Sir Peter Blake, known for his work on The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, two albums by The Who and more.

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On This Day, March 22, 1974 …

Eagles released their fourth studio album, On The Border, which was their first record to include guitarist Don Felder.

The album included such future Eagles classics as “Best of My Love,” sung by Don Henley, which was the band’s first #1 hit, and “Already Gone,” sung by Glenn Frey, which was a top 40 hit.

On The Border was a top 20 hit for the Eagles, peaking at #17, and went on to be certified double Platinum by the RIAA.

Felder appeared on four Eagles albums before getting fired from the group in 2001.

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Pearl Jam has shared a new song called “Running,” a track off the band’s upcoming album, Dark Matter.

The previously teased tune finds frontman Eddie Vedder declaring, “We left the f****** water running.” You can listen to it now via digital outlets.

“Running” marks the second cut to be released from Dark Matter, following the title track, which currently sits at #1 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.

Dark Matter, the follow-up to 2020’s Gigaton, drops April 19. You can hear it bit earlier, though, during the Dark Matter theatrical experience, which will take place in select cinemas around the world on April 16.

“Presented with the best cinematic technology, in Atmos where available, fans at the global cinema event will hear Dark Matter in its entirety twice, before it’s available anywhere!” Pearl Jam explains. “First in a dark cinema with just the music playing and then a second time experiencing the record with added visuals on screen during playback. A musical experience set to be unlike any other record premiere event.”

For the list of participating theaters and all ticket info, visit PearlJam.com/onenightonly.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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These days, streaming services are all the rage, so that’s where many top artists — from Elton John to Taylor Swift — are taking their concert specials. But Billy Joel‘s upcoming TV special documenting his 100th residency concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden will be on good ol’ broadcast television — for one good reason.

“We wanted to reach as many people as possible in every economic and age demographic as we possibly can,” Billy’s agent, Dennis Arfa, tells Newsday of the decision to air the special on CBS.  Arfa notes, “It was time for people around the country and around the world to see what Billy’s accomplished.”  

As for Billy, well, he’s ambivalent about the whole deal. He tells Newsday, “I’m not usually a big fan of televised shows. You know, I signed up as a musician, not as a TV actor. I’m just not photogenic.”

On that note, Billy’s lighting director, Steve Cohen, 70, tells Newsday, “The hardest thing for Billy is to face the fact that this is what we look like now. I can’t tell Billy to look at himself and like what he sees. But it will be the best-lit version and the best-sounding Billy on camera.”

As for surprise guests at the concert, which is taking place March 28 and will air on CBS on April 14, Billy says he has no idea who’ll show up. “I’ve kind of stayed out of it,” he tells Newsday. “I like spontaneity. I don’t want everything all scripted.”

But despite the fact that Billy is wrapping up his Garden residency in July, capping it at 150 career shows at the famous New York venue, he stresses that he’ll keep on performing “unless I’m too decrepit to pull it off.”

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Lenny Kravitz is giving fans another preview of his upcoming album, Blue Electric Light, which drops May 24.

The rocker just released the second single from the record, “Human,” and tells ABC Audio the song is about living your truth.

“It’s about celebrating and trusting the process of life and being a human with all of the so-called mistakes and, you know, adventures of life,” he says. “We are here, you know, we’re spiritual beings having a human existence. We are here to learn and to find ourselves.”

In the chorus, Lenny sings, “I’m gonna live my truth in this life, I am not gonna live a lie,” and that’s certainly something he’s lived by throughout his career. He’s often talked about how, when he was starting out in the music business, he stood his ground and refused to sign with record labels that wanted him to change his sound, and even he is amazed he was able to do so at such a young age. 

“I still don’t intellectually understand how as a teenager with no money, you know, living in cars, on people’s floors, on couches and how I did that,” he says. “But it was a gut feeling.”

He adds, “That has taught me so much through my life about trusting that voice inside of you.”

Blue Electric Light, which also includes the previously released single “TK421,” is available for preorder now.

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