Classic Rock News

Why go to the beach when you can spend Memorial Day weekend with The Beach Boys? A new documentary about the group debuts May 24 on Disney +, giving fans insight into their rise to fame and lasting legacy, and all the bumps along the way.

The doc is directed by filmmaker Frank Marshall, who tells ABC Audio learning how The Beach Boys turned into such a legendary band is what first attracted him to the project.

“I knew it was a family story, I grew up in a musical family, too,” he says. “So I wanted to understand how the dynamics and how the blend came together.”

He adds, “I don’t think a lot of people understand what went in and how hard they worked.”

While Brian Wilson is often singled out for his work in the Beach Boys, specifically on their iconic album Pet Sounds, singer Mike Love says he’s happy the documentary gives fans insight into how important each member was to the group.

“Finally the story is told from a broad enough perspective where it honors everybody’s contribution,” he says, noting it’s a ‘”bit more objective and yet unifying in a way.”

Guitarist Al Jardine says he was a fan of the rediscovered live footage in the film, sharing, “I enjoyed watching us, that young energy.”

The making of the film also helped facilitate a reunion between Love and Wilson, who hadn’t talked in years.

“We sat together, we sang together, we reminisced together,” Love says.

Wilson has since been placed under a conservatorship due to a neurocognitive disorder, but Love says Wilson still remembers a lot about their past.

“I was thinking, ‘Wow, his long-term memory is way intact, better than mine,’” he says. “So that was really fantastic to see.

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On May 24, 1974, Bad Company, the English supergroup made up of former Free members Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke, former Mott The Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and former King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell, released their self-titled debut album, which turned out to be a huge hit.

The album hit #1 in the U.S., thanks to such classic songs as “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love,” the title track, “Movin’ On” and “Rock Steady,” and went on to be certified five-times Platinum by the RIAA.

You’d think an album that made such an impact would have taken a long time to make, but frontman Rodgers tells ABC Audio it actually only took 10 days to complete. 

“We were bursting at the seams to record all this stuff,” he said, noting they recorded it so quickly “it should be in the Guinness Book.”

Kirke, who played drums in the band, adds that with so many well-established artists, making the album “was kind of like a perfect storm,” sharing it helped they were on Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song record label. 

“My goodness, it really couldn’t fail,” he said.

“When we were given the green light to go on the road with our new album, we shot out of that gate like a bunch of greyhounds,” he says. “And the result was one of the great albums of all time.” 

Rodgers says “it’s a very lovely feeling” knowing the songs on Bad Company have stood the test of time after 50 years.

“When I listen back to it, I’m like, wow,” he says. “You go back in time to that moment when I first put my fingers on the keyboard … and it’s a great feeling.” 

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Bruce Springsteen was celebrated in London on Thursday, being honored as an Academy Fellow of The Ivors Academy. He’s the first international songwriter to receive the honor by the U.K. organization, which presents The Ivor Novello Awards, celebrating excellence in British and Irish songwriting.

According to The Standard, The Beatles‘ Paul McCartney was on hand to present Springsteen with his honor, calling The Boss a “lovely, lovely boy” and a friend.

“He’s a fantastic guy and he showed up for me at Glastonbury,” McCartney added. “He’s known (as the) American working man, but he’s never worked a day in his life.” 

During his speech, Bruce recalled his early shows in the U.K. in 1975 and the difficulty he had finding something to eat, noting it was “a little disconcerting” that he couldn’t find a cheeseburger.

He added that if London wasn’t ready for burgers, it wasn’t “ready” for him.

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

Also honored at the Ivors was Elton’s songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, who received the award for outstanding contribution to British music.

Springsteen was able to attend the ceremony because he had a couple days off from his tour with the E Street Band. Next up they play Marseille, France, on Saturday.

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Foreigner is giving their fans a chance to win a custom Harley Davidson motorcycle, and it’s all for a good cause. 

The band is selling a custom Ticket To Ride T-Shirt, with 100% of the proceeds going to Shriners Children’s Hospitals. Each T-shirt purchased comes with a chance to win the custom Harley designed by Shawn Barker, owner of Barker Gang Inc., and Foreigner lead singer Kelly Hansen.  

The bike, in “Hot Blooded” red, features the logos of Foreigner and Shriners Children’s and is signed by the band, including co-founder Mick Jones, Hansen, bassist Jeff Pilson, guitarist Bruce Watson, keyboardist Michael Bluestein, drummer Chris Frazier and former saxophonist Tom Gimbel.

More info can be found at foreignerbike.com.

Next up, Foreigner is set to launch the Renegades & Jukebox Heroes tour with Styx and John Waite on June 11 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A complete list of dates can be found at foreigneronline.com.

And this fall, Foreigner will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. It will stream live on Disney+, followed by a special airing on ABC at a later date.

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The recent documentary about former Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett, Have You Got It Yet?: The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd, will be released on DVD and Bu-ray, as well as digitally and on demand, on July 19.

The film, which was originally released in June 2023, was directed by award-winning filmmaker Roddy Bogawa and the late album cover designer Storm Thorgerson, known for his work with Floyd, Led Zeppelin and others. It delves into the relationship between Pink Floyd and Barrett, who was responsible for giving the band its name. He left the group in1968 before they hit it big.

The film features interviews with Pink Floyd members David Gilmour, Roger Waters and Nick Mason, along with original band managers Peter Jenner and Andrew King.

The DVD and Blu-ray include bonus features that didn’t appear in the original movie, including two performances of the Barrett-penned “Arnold Layne,” one featuring Gilmour and David Bowie from Gilmour’s 2007 release, Remember That Night Live At The Royal Albert Hall, and the other from a 2007 tribute concert for Barrett that featured Gilmour, Mason and Richard Wright in their final performance as Pink Floyd.

Bogawa is also interviewed for the DVD and Blu-ray versions, and he and the film’s producers offer commentary on the flick. Barrett’s paintings are also explored, plus there are spoken word performances of some of Barrett’s lyrics.

Have You Got It Yet?: The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd on DVD and Blu-ray is available for preorder now.

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Metallica‘s James Hetfield has a major gripe with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

In an interview on the latest episode of the Metallica Report podcast, Hetfield say that Motörhead not being in the Rock Hall is a “disrespect to rock ‘n’ roll.”

“The most rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle-living person on this planet is not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which is a travesty, a shame,” Hetfield says, referring to late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister.

Hetfield has long been an admirer of Motörhead and Lemmy — the Metallica song “Murder One” pays tribute to the “Ace of Spades” rocker. In April, Hetfield shared that he’d gotten a tattoo infused with Lemmy’s ashes, which were sent to a number of his good friends.

“For me, [the tattoo is] paying respects to [Lemmy] in maybe lieu of him being in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which still continues to piss me off,” Hetfield says.

Motörhead was nominated for the Rock Hall once in 2020, but wasn’t selected for induction.

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Van Halen drummer and co-founder Alex Van Halen is getting ready to part with instruments from his personal collection.

Backstage Auctions just announced a new auction of The Alex Van Halen Collection, featuring over 350 lots filled with drum kits, snare drums, kick drums, cymbals, sticks, mallets and more. Those drum kits include Alex’s 5150 tour kit and the last kit he used in concert during Van Halen’s 2015 tour.

The auction will also include personal items, like a piano from the Van Halen family home, autographed pieces, tour cases and record awards, including a collection of vintage RIAA certifications.

“I kept all these drums, cymbals, heads, and all other kinds of gear, instruments, and road cases in my warehouse for decades and it will bring me great pleasure to see them end up in the hands of my fans and fellow drummers,” Alex shares, noting that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Ride On Therapeutic Horsemanship, which helps at-risk youth and people with disabilities by using equine-assisted activities and therapies. 

Bidding on The Alex Van Halen Collection is set to open June 1, with the auction running through June 9. More info can be found at backstageauctions.com.

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Bon Jovi is the subject of a new Rock & Roll Hall of Fame exhibit set to open June 8, one day after the band’s new record, FOREVER, comes out.

The Bon Jovi Forever exhibit will cover an entire floor of the museum, giving fans an overview of the band’s 40-year career, with never-before-seen artifacts from the band members. 

Although the official opening is on June 8, the exhibit will actually launch on June 7 with a special preview and listening experience, where attendees will get an early look at the exhibit and get to listen to Bon Jovi’s new album. More information on the exhibit can be found at rockhall.com. 

Meanwhile, in a new interview with AARP The Magazine, Jon Bon Jovi reveals that fans will hear him singing about aging on the new album, with lyrics like, “Don’t try to be what you used to be.”

“I don’t want to be the kid from Slippery When Wet,” he shares, referring to Bon Jovi’s 1986 album, which was released when Jon was 24. “I have no desire to be that kid.” 

“I have a grander palette to write from. More life experience,” he adds. “I think that every record reflects somehow who I am at that time.”

Jon is still recovering from vocal surgery he had two years ago, and it’s leaving his touring career up in the air, but he’s not giving up hope that he’ll be back on the stage some day. 

“Whether or not I can ever do a 100-show tour again, I don’t know,” he says. “But if I can have joy on the stage on night one, that would be great.”

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The Rolling Stones have just expanded their Hackney Diamonds tour by one show.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers added an additional stop at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Missouri, on July 21, which is now the final stop on the U.S. tour. 

Thunder Ridge is a new outdoor amphitheater described as a “musical postcard from Mother Nature.” It’s the brainchild of conservationist and Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris, who calls it a “gift of the Ozarks to the world.”

Tickets for the new show go on sale May 31 at 10 a.m. local time.

The Stones kicked off their Hackney Diamonds tour on April 28 in Houston, Texas. Their next stop is New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, where they’ll play two shows, May 23 and 26.

A complete list of dates can be found at RollingStones.com.

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Lenny Kravitz is back with a brand new album, Blue Electric Light, dropping Friday, and he tells ABC Audio that the songs on the record came to him “organically.”

“I’m always inspired, it’s just a matter of what is it going to be,” he says. “I don’t have any preconceived ideas when I start working on a new phase of music.” 

Although some artists may head into the studio with a specific vision, that’s not how Lenny works — instead he just waits for the music to come to him.

“It’s just a big mystery. So, until it’s finished, I have no idea what’s going on,” he says. “I’m just channeling what I’m receiving. I’m just an antenna.”

So, what kind of album did Blue Electric Light wind up becoming?

“The album is, it’s just celebration, it’s fun. It’s just carefree and loose and spiritual and sensual, but mainly it’s a lot of fun,” Lenny says. “It’s a bit of the record I didn’t make in high school before I made my first album, Let Love Rule. I can sense the influence from that time.”

As for the message he hopes fans get after listening to Blue Electric Light, Kravitz shares, “As always, love. You know, love, unity, inclusion, God, humanity.”  

Blue Electric Light, Lenny’s first album since 2018’s Raise Vibration, is available for preorder now.

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