Classic Rock News

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.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A new documentary about the The Beach Boys is set to premiere next month on Disney+.

The Beach Boys, directed by Frank Marshall and Thom Zimny, takes fans back to the beginning of the California band and will include never-before-seen footage as well as all-new interviews from band members Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks and Bruce Johnston. 

The documentary will also include a new interview with former member Blondie Chaplin, audio from another former member Ricky Fataar plus appearances by late members Carl and Dennis Wilson. In addition, fellow musicians like Lindsey Buckingham, Don Was, Janelle Monáe and Ryan Tedder contribute to the documentary. 

The Beach Boys will stream exclusively on Disney+ starting May 24. The official soundtrack to the documentary will also be available on streaming services the same day. 

The documentary is just one of several treats in store this year for fans of The Beach Boys. The group will release their official book The Beach Boys by The Beach Boys on April 2. They are also reissuing their Shut Down, Vol 2 album on limited edition blue and white marble vinyl on March 29.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bob Dylan, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are booked to play Willie Nelson’s annual 4th of July Picnic, happening in Philadelphia for the very first time. 

“I am thrilled to bring the 4th of July Picnic to Philadelphia for the first time in our storied history,” Willie shares. “It’s an honor to host such an extraordinary lineup of talent in the birthplace of our country. We can’t wait to celebrate Independence Day with you.” 

Mavis Staples, Maren Morris and Celisse are also booked for the concert, which will be happening at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey, just across the river from Philly. 

A Citi presale will kick off Tuesday, March 26, at 10 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public starting Friday, March 29, at 10 a.m.

Dylan, Plant and Krauss are also booked to play Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival, which kicks off June 21 in Alpharetta, Georgia, and wraps September 17 in Buffalo, New York. Nelson and Dylan are booked for the festival’s entire run, while Plant and Krauss will play 10 shows through July 7 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Other artists playing the festival include John Mellencamp, Celisse, Brittney Spencer and Southern Avenue with Billy Strings.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, March 26, 1948…

Steven Victor Tallarico, who went on to become Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, was born in New York, New York.

Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer and guitarist Ray Tabano formed Aerosmith in Boston in 1970; Brad Whitford replaced Tabano in 1971. They released their self-titled debut in 1973, featuring the tune “Dream On,” which went on to be one of their signature songs.

Aerosmith has had nine top 10 albums, two of which went to #1: 1993’s Get A Grip and 1997’s Nine Lives. They also had eight top 10 singles, including one #1 song, 1998’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” from the movie Armageddon. Other classic Aerosmith tunes include “Sweet Emotion,” “Walk This Way” and “Love in an Elevator.”

Aerosmith was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and in 2012, Tyler and Perry were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Outside of Aerosmith, Tyler was a judge on Fox’s American Idol for two seasons and released his country-inspired debut solo album, We’re All Somebody from Somewhere, in 2016. He also started his own charity, Janie’s Fund, a philanthropic initiative created in partnership with Youth Villages to help young girls who’ve been victims of abuse and neglect.

Aerosmith kicked off their final tour, the Peace Out tour, in September, but after only a few shows, it was postponed after Tyler fractured his larynx. So far, they have not rescheduled the tour dates.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Monday, March 25, was Elton John‘s 77th birthday, and while he received birthday wishes from celebs as varied as Donatella Versace, The Spice Girls, Debbie Gibson, designer Marc Jacobs, Brooke Shields and Paris Hilton, it’s the message he received from his husband that probably means the most to him.

David Furnish posted a photo of Elton smiling while holding the miniature plastic head of his own Elton John figurine in his mouth.  “Happy Birthday to my irrepressible husband @eltonjohn,” Furnish, who’s also Elton’s manager, wrote.

“You are the best father, hardest working artist and musician, bountiful humanitarian, loving partner, and most loyal friend. Wishing you the healthiest and happiest 77th birthday. Love you forever.”

Elton replied, “I love you and am so incredibly lucky to have you in my life, thank you for everything.”

David and Elton have been in a civil partnership since 2005; when same-sex marriage became legal in the U.K. in 2014, they got married on December 21 of that year.  They share two sons, Zachary and Elijah.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Alarm is revisiting the good old days of MTV with a new album featuring their take on songs considered classics on the music cable network. 

The album, Music Television, will feature the band’s reinterpretations of such classic MTV staples as The Buggles’ “Video Killed The Radio Star,” which was the first song played on the network; Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing,” the first song played on MTV Europe; Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight”; Modern English’s “I Melt With You”; and Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” 

The first single released from the record is a cover of David Bowie’s “Man Who Sold The World,” which was covered by Nirvana for their classic episode of MTV Unplugged. 

“Unplugged was a series that redefined music as we knew it,” The Alarm’s Mike Peters shares. “I remember watching in awe at some of the incredible stripped-down arrangements of classic songs and, at the same time envious that I had been denied the opportunity to appear on the show back in the day.”

He adds, “This is my chance to take back part of music television history and pay my respects to an era that changed everything.”

Music Television will be available to purchase on vinyl and CD during the band’s upcoming Live Today Love Tomorrow tour and will be sold in limited-edition yellow/purple vinyl via the band’s website.

The Live Today Love Tomorrow tour kicks off May 1 in New Orleans and wraps June 6 in Clearwater, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at thealarm.com.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

INXS is looking back at the video for their song “Never Tear Us Apart,” 35 years after they filmed the clip in the Czech Republic city of Prague.

The band shared a new behind-the-scenes video of the making of the clip, with exclusive interviews with the band and never-before-seen footage, including deleted scenes.

Andrew Farriss, INXS’ co-songwriter, keyboardist and guitarist, talks about the development of the song, sharing, “I wanted to do something that was very different than what we were doing before,” noting their late frontman Michael Hutchence laughed when he first heard it.

“He thought it was funny because for us it’s so different. I don’t think he took it all that seriously,” he says. “And then when he took the tape away and listened to it he came back, he said, ‘I love that. Whatever you’re doing is great.’”

Interview clips from Hutchence are also heard in the clip, with him talking about their time in Prague filming. He shares, “The spirit of the people there is fantastic, that’s what I loved, it really makes you appreciate what you have so much.”

“Never Tear Us Apart” was the fourth single off INXS’ blockbuster album Kick, which was released in 1987. The song was a top 10 hit for the band, peaking at #7 in the U.S. The video for the song, directed by Richard Lowenstein, has been viewed over 101 million times on YouTube.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Roger Daltrey’s 24-year tenure as curator of the Teenage Cancer Trust charity shows was celebrated Sunday, March 24, with a star-studded night of music at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Ovation, a Celebration of 24 Years of Gigs for TCT featured guest appearances by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Robert Plant with Saving Grace, Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones and Paul Weller, with all the artists coming out to join Daltrey for the night’s encore of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley.”

“I’m not going away from the Teenage Cancer Trust,” Daltrey said, according to Rolling Stone. “I’ve completed the job I set out to do. We’re going to get curators to do a year rather than doing 20 years. Talk about nerve-racking.” 

The evening included a set by Daltrey, which included Pete Townshend’s “Let My Love Open The Door,” The Who’s “Squeeze Box” and solo tunes “After the Fire,” “Giving It All Away” and “Without Your Love.”

Vedder treated the crowd to two Pearl Jam tunes, “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” and “Porch,” and brought out guests Simon Townshend, Glen Hansard and his daughter Eddie Vedder, while Robert Plant and Saving Grace’s set included one Led Zeppelin deep cut, “Friends.”

Teenage Cancer Trust is a nonprofit dedicated to providing specialized treatment and support for young people with cancer.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Yes’ 14th studio album, Talk, just turned 30, and to celebrate the occasion, the album will be reissued as a four-CD deluxe box set, a single CD and on two-LP limited edition white vinyl.

Dropping May 24, the deluxe edition will include eight bonus studio tracks, a previously unreleased live show recorded June 1994 in Canandaigua, New York, and new interviews conducted by writer Jerry Ewing.

Released March 24, 1991, Talk featured the Yes lineup of Trevor Rabin, Tony Kaye, Jon Anderson, Chris Squire and Alan White, with most of the songs written by Rabin and Anderson.

“It was just a beautiful time for me and Trev… it was a very harmonious experience for me,” Anderson shares.

The band released two singles from Talk, “The Calling” and “Walls,” but their label Victory Records went bankrupt not long after the album’s release, which affected its performance, leaving many to refer to Talk as the “lost” Yes album. 

The Talk deluxe box set is available for preorder now.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.