Classic Rock News

Guess we can now call him Billionaire Boss. Forbes is reporting that Bruce Springsteen is now officially a billionaire. 

According to the mag, the 74-year-old Springsteen’s net worth is estimated to be around $1.1 billion, with Forbes noting that a good portion of that money is coming from ticket sales: Springsteen’s 2023 world tour with the E Street Band brought in about $380 million in revenue from 1.6 million tickets sold.

Some of that money can also be attributed to his 2021 catalog sale to Sony, which was reportedly worth between $500 million and $550 million.

And there’s certainly more to come for Springsteen. His current tour has dates booked until mid-2025, with new U.S. dates launching in August. Plus, Deliver Me From Nowhere, a movie about the making of his album Nebraska, is currently in the works, with Jeremy Allen White starring as The Boss. 

Speaking of that tour, Springsteen and the E Street Band are set to play Bergen, Norway, on Sunday. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

U2 has released the next installment in their digital series, U2 to Love and Only Love – Deep Dives and B-Sides. The latest, “Beautiful Day,” is named after the Grammy-winning lead single from their 10th studio album, All That You Can’t Leave Behind.

U2 to Love and Only Love – Deep Dives and B-Sides will consist of 12 newly remastered collections, released throughout the year, which are made up of songs that until now were only available on vinyl, CD or cassette. 

“Beautiful Day” is the eighth installment in the series and features nine songs, including a remastered edition of the track and three remixes. There’s also remastered versions of “Always,” which was the “Beautiful Day” B-side, and an early version of the song, as well as “Summer Rain,” a B-side from U2: The Best Of 1990-2000 & B-Sides.

Plus there are three live tracks from a concert in Mexico City: “Discothèque,” “If You Wear That Velvet Dress” and “Last Night on Earth.”

The playlist is now streaming on most digital outlets.

And to coincide with the release, U2 is selling a limited-edition 2024 reissue of a “Beautiful Day” T-shirt. It is available for preorder now, with shirts shipping in August.

U2 launched U2 to Love and Only Love – Deep Dives and B-Sides in April and so far released collections dedicated to “Discothèque,” “Staring at the Sun,” “Last Night on Earth,” “If God Will Send His Angels,” “Please,” “Mofo” and “Sweetest Thing.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Paul McCartney & Wings released the live album One Hand Clapping in June, and now McCartney is sharing some more music recorded during the live sessions for the album.

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just shared a six-song EP, One Hand Clapping – The Backyard, featuring acoustic versions of the unreleased track “Blackpool,” The Beatles‘ “Blackbird,” covers of Buddy Holly‘s “I’m Gonna Love You Too” and “Peggy Sue,” and more. The Backyard was previously only available as part of a One Hand Clapping online exclusive two-LP and 7-inch vinyl set.  

A post on McCartney’s Instagram page says, “Step into the garden at @abbeyroadstudios in summer 1974 with ‘The Backyard’ Paul’s acoustic performance recorded during a break in the ‘One Hand Clapping’ sessions.”

The Backyard is now streaming via digital outlets. A video for McCartney’s performance of “Blackpool” is now on YouTube.

One Hand Clapping was recorded at Abbey Road studios in August 1974 as a video documentary and possible live album, although it never officially came out. Parts of it did come out on bootlegs over the years, but the June release was its first official release.

It includes live recordings of such Wings hits as “Live and Let Die,” “Band on the Run,” “Jet” and “My Love,” as well as Paul’s solo song “Maybe I’m Amazed” and reworked versions of Beatles songs like “Let It Be,” “Lady Madonna” and “The Long and Winding Road.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Future Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Peter Frampton has paid tribute to comedy and TV legend Bob Newhart, who passed away at the age of 94.

Frampton shared a photo of him, Newhart and Bill Murray on Instagram, writing, “Heart broken to hear. I’ve known Bob since the 70s and he was a charmer. Yes, he made us all belly laugh with his many years of incredibly bright and unique sense of humour.”

Frampton continued, “I will miss our lunches. If I was paying it was The Four Seasons. If he was it wasn’t the Four Seasons! Forever the accountant but one of the most modest down to earth people I have known and called a friend. I will miss you Bob (heart emoji) rip.”

According to Newhart’s publicist, he died at his home in Los Angeles “after a series of short illnesses.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Smashing Pumpkins have announced a new album, Aghori Mhori Mei.

The 13th studio effort from the “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” rockers arrives Aug. 2. It’s the follow-up to the Pumpkins’ 33-track, three-part rock opera, ATUM, which was released over 2022 and 2023.

“In the writing of this new album I became intrigued with the well-worn axiom, ‘you can’t go home again,'” says frontman Billy Corgan. “Which I have found personally to be true in form but thought well, what if we tried anyway? Not so much in looking backwards with sentimentality but rather as a means to move forward; to see if in the balance of success and failure that our ways of making music circa 1990-1996 would still inspire something revelatory.”

Aghori Mhori Mei will arrive amid the Pumpkins’ summer tour, kicking off July 29 in Washington, D.C., which includes headlining dates and shows with Green Day.

Here’s the Aghori Mhori Mei track list:

“Edin”
“Pentagrams”
“Sighommi”
“Pentecost”
“War Dreams of Itself”
“Who Goes There”
“999”
“Goeth the Fall”
“Sicarus”
“Murnau”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Steely Dan appears to be to calling out Donald Trump and the Republican National Convention for using their music. 

The Donald Fagen led band posted a message on their website to Sixwire, the house band at this weeks’ convention in Milwaukee, who played a series of classic rock covers, including Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ in the Years.”

In the post they noted, “If you want to play our music how about playing The Man in the TIN FOIL HAT?”

“Tin Foil Hat” is an anti-Trump song released by Todd Rundgren in 2017 that features Fagen singing. He also co-wrote the tune. The accompanying video for the track appears to mock Trump, Fox News and Trump’s associates.

This isn’t the first time a band has been upset that one of their songs has been associated with the Trump campaign. Neil Young sued Trump’s campaign for using his songs at rallies. Plus, the estates of Isaac Hayes and Tom Petty‘s have called out Trump for using the artists’ music without permission.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Deep Purple‘s new studio album, =1 (equals one), is out now and longtime bassist Roger Glover tells ABC Audio the inspiration for the album’s title came from the “strange mind” of lead singer Ian Gillan.

Glover said Gillan once questioned how big of an equation someone could come up with where the answer would equal one, then had a mathematician friend come up with an example.

“And he showed it to me and I said, ‘You know, that could be a title,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, I think so, too,’” Glover shares. Gillan then wondered if the equation itself should be the title, but Glover notes, “I said no, just ‘equals one.’” 

Deep Purple is now made up of Glover, Gillan, drummer Ian Paice, keyboardist Don Airey and guitarist Simon McBride. Glover says the title’s perfect for a band that he describes as having “a long soap opera history” with so many lineup changes, because despite it all, “we’re still one band.”

The album features singles like “Portable Door,” “Pictures of You” and “Lazy Sod,” which Glover says they didn’t actually write in the traditional sense. 

“Songs evolve rather than are written,” he says of the band’s process. “And it starts with a sort of jam session for a week or so. We just have fun, play this and play that, and then pick out the ones that are most promising.”

Glover has been with Deep Purple on and off since 1969, and more than 50 years later he can’t believe he and his bandmates are still making music together.

“I’m totally amazed. Every day,” he says. “I can’t believe that I’ve had a history that I’ve had with this band,” adding, “There’s a destiny that we will survive … well, at least for a bit more.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Red Hot Chili Peppers have announced a collaboration with the lifestyle brand Parks Project.

The collection includes a T-shirt, sweatshirt and blanket with designs inspired by Yosemite National Park and RHCP’s 1999 album, Californication, which turned 25 in June. It will support the organization NatureBridge, which aims to “connect young people to the wonder and science of the natural world.”

“We are incredibly excited to partner with the Red Hot Chili Peppers on this special collection,” says Parks Project President Jack Gray. “The designs, inspired by the stunning landscapes of Yosemite and the band’s boundary-pushing artistic style, perfectly align with our mission to promote conservation and inspire a love for the outdoors.”

Gray adds, “Together, we hope to make a significant impact by supporting NatureBridge and providing opportunities for kids to connect with nature and learn about the importance of preserving our national parks.”

The collection will go on sale July 22 via ParksProject.us.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Music fans are getting their first look at an upcoming documentary about Jimi Hendrix’s famed music studio, Electric Lady Studios.

A trailer for the film, Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision, directed by John McDermott, has just been released, featuring archival footage and photos showing the building of the studio, Hendrix performing and more.

The film is filled with previously unseen footage and photos, and includes interviews from recording engineer Eddie Kramer, Experience bassist Billy Cox, original Electric Lady staff members and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Steve Winwood, who took part in Hendrix’s first session at the studio. 

Opened in 1970, Electric Lady Studios was the first commercial studio owned by an artist. It was constructed specifically for Hendrix, who died just weeks after its opening. The studio went on to be a go-to spot for musicians, with artists such as John Lennon, David Bowie, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and more recording there.

Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision will open in New York City on Aug. 9, with a wider release to follow.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Genesis fans will soon be able to stock their vinyl collection.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band will be reissuing 13 of their albums on 180g vinyl, all mixed and remastered by producer Nick Davis.

The reissue campaign begins Aug. 23 with 1972’s Foxtrot, 1974’s The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, which was Peter Gabriel’s last album with the band, 1980’s Duke, 1981’s Abacab and 1983’s Genesis. The second set, dropping on Sept. 6, will include 1971’s Nursery Cryme, 1973’s Selling England By The Pound, 1976’s Wind & Wuthering and 1991’s We Can’t Dance.

The final three reissues will drop on Sept. 27, made up of 1976’s A Trick Of The Tail, their first album with Phil Collins as vocalist, 1978’s …And Then There Were Three…, their first as a trio following Steve Hackett‘s departure, and 1986’s multi-Platinum hit Invisible Touch, which includes their first and only #1, the album’s title track.

All 13 vinyl albums are available for preorder now.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.