Classic Rock News

A new compilation of rarities from late The Who bassist John Entwistle is being released later this year.

Rarities Oxhumed – Volume Two is the follow-up to the 2022 release Rarities Oxhumed – Volume One, and features alternative takes, demos, studio tracks and live tracks from the early years of the John Entwistle Band.

Just like the original release, Volume Two has been curated by Entwistle’s good friend and bandmate Steve Luongo.

“When I agreed to do two volumes of John Entwistle rarities, I knew volume two had to be even better than volume one,” Luongo shares. “It is!”

The latest installment includes a remastered version of “Endless Vacation” and an alternative mix of “Sometimes,” as well as live performances of Who songs like “Real Me,” “Long Live Rock” and “Had Enough,” the latter of which is out now on digital services. There’s also what’s described as an “epic version” of The Who’s “Young Man Blues.” 

Rarities Oxhumed – Volume Two will be released in August and is available for preorder now in a variety of CD bundles, including one that packages both volumes together. 

Here is the track list for Rarities Oxhumed – Volume Two:

“Endless Vacation” (Video Mix)
“Sometimes” (Alternate Mix)
“Rebel Without A Car” (Alternate Mix)
“When The Sun Come Up” (Single Remix)
“Horror Rock” (Steve’s Re-Mix)
“Tommy-Eminence” (Live)
“Young Man Blues” (Live)
“Real Me” (Live)
“Long Live Rock” (Live)
“Boris Blues-Extended Version” (Live)
“Whiskey Man” (Live)
“Had Enough” (Live)
“Heaven and Hell” (Live)

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The four members of R.E.M. – Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry – were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame Thursday night in New York, where they surprised the audience by performing together.

After being inducted by Jason Isbell, who performed the classic “It’s the End of the World as We Know It,” the band took the stage for a stripped back performance of their 1991 hit “Losing My Religion.” 

“Writing songs and having a catalog of work that we’re all proud of — that is out there for the rest of the world for the rest of time —is hands-down the most important aspect of what we did as a band,” Stipe said in his speech on behalf of the band. “Second to that is that we managed to do so all those decades and remain friends, and not just friends, but dear friends, friends for life.”

He continued, “For us to be honored alongside these other unbelievably talented and influential people tonight by the Songwriters Hall of Fame as group … it truly means the world to us that you’ve recognized us tonight.”

The last time all four members of R.E.M. performed together was in 1995. During that tour, Berry suffered a double brain aneurysm and left the group in 1997. The remaining three members continued on, and last performed together 15 years ago. They broke up in 2011.

Other artists inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on Thursday include Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen and the late Walter Becker, Timbaland, Hillary Lindsey and Dean Pitchford, while Diane Warren received the Johnny Mercer Award and SZA was honored with the Hal David Starlight Award.

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Mike Campbell and his band The Dirty Knobs’ third album, Vagabonds, Virgins and Misfits, is out now, and Campbell tells ABC Audio the record shows them coming into their own sound.

He says the first two albums proved they were “a rock ‘n’ roll boogie band mostly,” but they’re evolving.  

“We’re expanding our songwriting as we go along and getting better,” he says, “and I’m finding my voice as a ‘stylist,’ not a singer.”

After so many years in the background as guitarist and songwriter for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Campbell says it hasn’t been hard for him to step into the frontman role, but it was certainly an adjustment.

“It’s mostly coming out of a little insecurity and getting used to the sound of my own voice,” he says, noting he made some adjustments to his voice because it had similar nuances to Petty’s.

“I wanted to filter those out so I didn’t sound like a clone,” he explains. “It was mostly confidence, just building up my confidence that, yeah, you can do this.” 

The album features guest appearances by Graham Nash and Chris Stapleton, with Campbell sharing that songs on the record were influenced by the music he grew up listening to in the ’60s, like The Beatles and The Stones.

“That’s the stuff I emulate,” he says.

As for the album’s title, Campbell says it’s inspired by the songs, which are filled with “desperate people” trying for a better life.  

“And I thought there’s a lot of desperate vagabonds, misfit-type people,” he says. “And I threw virgins just cause it sounded good.”  

Campbell and The Dirty Knobs hit the road starting June 21 in Skokie, Illinois. More info can be found at thedirtyknobs.com.

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The Alan Parsons Project is revisiting their 1978 album, Pyramid. 

The band announced that the record will be reissued in a variety of formats, including a super deluxe edition that comes with four CDs, and a Blu-ray with the first ever Dolby Atmos mix of one of the band’s albums.

The super deluxe edition will also include 67 bonus tracks, 54 of which haven’t been released before, as well as a half-speed remastered double LP, a 60-page hardcover book and a whole lot more. 

There will also be a remastered CD featuring four bonus tracks, as well as a clear vinyl and a limited edition 180-gram gold nugget vinyl.

All formats will be released Aug. 23 and are available for preorder now. The first 500 people to preorder the super deluxe edition through the band’s store will receive a print signed by Parsons.

Released in May 1978, Pyramid was the third studio album from The Alan Parsons Project. It was a concept album set around the Pyramids of Giza.

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Jon Anderson is sharing the first preview of his upcoming album, True, which he recorded with The Band Geeks.

The former Yes lead singer just released “Shine On,” the first single from the album, along with an accompanying performance video. 

True, dropping Aug. 23, is Anderson’s first new album since 2019’s 1000 Hands: Chapter One and his first with The Band Geeks, who he’s been touring with since 2023. It features nine new songs, including a 16 1/2-minute track, “Once Upon A Dream.”

True is available for preorder now.

Anderson and The Band Geeks are currently on tour, with their next show happening Thursday in Chicago. A complete list of dates can be found at jonanderson.com.

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Slash has announced a livestream of one of his upcoming S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Blues Festival tour concerts.

You’ll be able to watch the outing’s stop in Denver on July 17 live on the streaming platform Veeps. For more info, visit Veeps.com/slash.

The S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Blues Festival tour launches July 5 in Bonner, Montana. The outing finds Slash performing with his blues backing band, featuring bassist Johnny Griparic, keyboardist Teddy “ZigZag” Andreadis, drummer Michael Jerome and vocalist/guitarist Tash Neal. A number of blues bands and artists will also be on the bill, including Warren Hayes Band, Keb’ ‘Mo, Robert Randolph, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, ZZ Ward and Larkin Poe.

Slash just released a blues covers album, Orgy of the Damned, in May. Guests on the record include AC/DC‘s Brian Johnson, Iggy Pop, ZZ Top‘s Billy F Gibbons and Demi Lovato.

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Van Halen fans are getting another preview of the upcoming expanded edition of the band’s ninth studio album, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. 

The band just shared a previously unreleased live performance video of “Top Of The World,” recorded at a Dec. 4, 1991, concert at West End Marketplace in Dallas, Texas.

“Top of the World” was a Billboard 100 top-40 hit for Van Halen, peaking at #27. It also hit #1 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.

Dropping July 12, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (Expanded Edition) will include the remastered original album, along with an album of rarities and live tracks from the Dallas concert. It will include two LPs, with an etching of the Van Halen logo on the fourth side, plus two CDs and a Blu-Ray that will include the Dallas concert, along with the official music videos for “Right Now,” winner of the 1992 MTV VMA for Video of the Year, “Poundcake,” “Runaround” and “Top of the World.”

For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (Expanded Edition) is available for preorder now.

Released June 17, 1991, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge was Van Halen’s third album with Sammy Hagar. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, where it spent three weeks. The album was the third of four #1s Van Halen had with Hagar, the others being 1986’s 5150, 1988’s OU812 and 1995’s Balance.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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The four members of R.E.M. – Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry – opened up about their decision to call it quits in 2011 during their first interview together in nearly 30 years, which aired Thursday on CBS Mornings.

“I think the main reason was at that point, there wasn’t anything we could agree on really musically. What kind of music, how to record it, are we going to go on tour,” Buck said. “We could barely agree on where to go to dinner. And now we can just agree on where to go to dinner.”

“We’re also here to tell the tale, and we’re sitting at the same table together with deep admiration and lifelong friendship,” Stipe added. “A lot of people that do this can’t claim that.”

Buck explained they’re still friends because, “I think we quit at the right time,” noting, “This is a really good place to finish, you know – great tour, great album, go home.” 

Buck, Stipe and Mills all said they have no regrets about their decision to end R.E.M., although Berry, who quit the band two years after suffering a double brain aneurysm onstage in 1995, does have some about his departure.

When asked about it he got emotional, sharing, “That was a weird time for me and I made it weird for these guys, too.” 

But while they may still be friends, fans shouldn’t hold out hope for a reunion. When asked what it would take to get them performing together again, Mills joked, “a comet,” with Buck giving a good reason why it won’t happen.

“It’d never be as good,” he said.

The interview coincides with R.E.M.’s induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, which is happening Thursday in New York City.

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Bruce Springsteen is back on the stage after taking a few weeks off to recover from vocal issues.

Springsteen and The E Street Band relaunched their tour in Madrid on Wednesday, kicking the show off with “Lonesome Day” and “No Surrender.”

According to setlist.fm, the concert featured the tour debut of two songs. The first was the track “Frankie Fell in Love,” which was the first time Bruce played the High Hopes track with The E Street Band since 2014. He also performed a cover of John Fogerty’s “Rockin’ All Over The World,” which was the first time he played it since 2016. 

The rest of the set included such Springsteen classics as “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “Land of Hopes and Dreams,” “My Hometown,” “The River,” “Backstreets,” “She’s The One” and “Badlands,” as well as “Hungry Heart,” “Thunder Road,” “Dancing in the Dark” and “Born to Run.”

Springsteen announced in late May that he would have to postpone shows in Marseille, Prague and Milan “under doctor’s direction.” The three shows have now been rescheduled for summer 2025.

Springsteen and The E Street Band play a second night in Madrid on Friday. The tour returns to North America in August. A complete list of dates can be found at brucepsringsteen.net.

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As rumored earlier in the year, the Eagles will be the next band to play the Sphere in Las Vegas. 

Eagles – Live in Concert at Sphere will consist of eight shows, kicking off Sept. 20, with the band playing Fridays and Saturdays through October 10. A complete list of dates can be found at eagles.com. 

A ticket presale begins June 18 at 10 a.m. PT, with presale registration now open. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting June 21 at 10 a.m. PT. In addition, ticket and hotel packages go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. PT, with VIP packages going on sale June 18 at 10 a.m. PT

Eagles will be the fourth band to take up residency at Sphere. U2 opened the venue back in September, with Phish and Dead & Company also playing residencies there.

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