Classic Rock News

A new book called Rebel Music: Bob Marley & Roots Reggae, in stores November 7, features contributions from Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Lenny Kravitz, Paul Simon, Keith Richards and more.

The book comes from photographer Kate Simon, who met Bob Marley in 1975 and gained unprecedented access to him, his band and his fellow reggae stars. Originally released in 2004 in a sold-out limited edition, this marks the first time Rebel Music: Bob Marley & Roots Reggae has been widely available.

Patti Smith wrote the intro for the book, Kravitz wrote the foreword, and Richards wrote the afterword. Other artists’ contributions come in the form of essays or paragraphs, included alongside the more than 400 photographs Simon took of Marley and his circle.

Kravitz writes that Marley was “raw, powerful, vulnerable” and “a genius without pretense,” while Smith says he “kept his spiritual sense intact, even at the height of public acclaim” and “set an example for the rest of the world.”

Richards adds that Marley “never got over” discovering reggae in Jamaica in 1972, and Bruce writes, “He filled your spirit, made you dance and sharpened your thoughts.” Bob Marley & the Wailers opened for Springsteen in 1973.

Visit MarleyBook.com for more information on the book.

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In between rocking countless arenas with Rush, Geddy Lee amassed what he calls a “wonderful and supremely mammoth collection of baseball memorabilia.” Now, Lee is giving you the chance to own a piece of that collection.

The New York City auction house Christie’s has announced it will be offering historic items owned by Lee, including Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron jerseys and a signed baseball from The Beatles legendary 1965 Shea Stadium concert.

“I admit I’m a crazy person, who’s been obsessed with the acquisition of many, MANY, fascinating things,” Lee says. “Yet, you just can’t have it all!”

“What an effin’ blast it’s been, but I must have had too much stuff because after these selections were sent to Christies my wife stepped into my office and said, ‘Hey! I thought you were selling some of your collection??'” he adds. “Uh, yeah Honey, I am…. Oopsie!”

The auction will be open online from November 21 to December 7, with a live in-person event taking place December 6. For more info, visit Christies.com.

Meanwhile, Lee is set to host a new docuseries premiering December 5 on Paramount+. Are Bass Players Human Too? features Nirvana‘s Krist Novoselic, Metallica‘s Robert Trujillo, Primus‘ Les Claypool and Hole‘s Melissa Auf der Maur.

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On This Day, November 7, 1987 …

Bruce Springsteen landed at #1 with his eighth studio album, Tunnel of Love, which he recorded without the E Street Band.

The record featured the hits “Brilliant Disguise,” which peaked at #5; the album’s title track, which peaked at #9; and “One Step Up,” which went to #13.

Although he didn’t record the album with the E Street Band, Springsteen did tour with them, launching the Tunnel of Love Express Tour in February 1988.

The album went on to be certified triple Platinum, and the song “Tunnel of Love” earned Springsteen a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo.

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Bruce Springsteen wasn’t supposed to attend the annual Stand Up for Heroes benefit for the Bob Woodruff Foundation — held November 6 in New York City — but he showed up anyway.

Bruce was originally scheduled to be on the road during the annual event, which raises money for veterans’ causes. But since he postponed those concerts due to a diagnosis of peptic ulcer disease, he was able to make it to the show, along with John Mellencamp, Josh Groban, Jon Stewart, Tracy Morgan and Tom Hanks.

Bruce performed solo songs and duetted with Mellencamp; the two sang “Wasted Days” from Mellencamp’s 2022 album Strictly a One-Eyed Jack. According to the Asbury Park Press, Bruce also sang “The Power of Prayer” from 2020’s Letter to You, Born In the U.S.A. cuts “Working on the Highway” and “Dancing In the Dark,” and debuted his recent release “Addicted to Romance” from the movie She Came to Me.

The Boss also continued his tradition of telling dirty jokes in between his songs.

Mellencamp, who introduced Springsteen as the “big brother” who he’s “looked up to … my whole life,” also performed his hits “Jack & Diane” and “Small Town.”

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Celebrations are in order as legendary singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell turns 80 on November 7.

Born Roberta Joan “Joni” Anderson in Alberta, Canada, Mitchell’s rise to fame began in the ’60s and ’70s with such classic songs as “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Chelsea Morning,” “River” and “Both Sides Now.” She also wrote “Woodstock,” which later became a huge hit for her friends Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Mitchell has released 19 studio albums over the course of her career, but it’s her fourth album, 1971’s Blue, that is considered by many to be one of the best pop and rock albums in history.

Her biggest commercial success came with the 1974 release Court and Spark, which features the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit “Help Me.”

Turning 80 is a pretty big deal considering in 2015 Mitchell suffered a brain aneurysm. She once revealed that she had to learn to walk again following the medical emergency. She made few public appearances after that but hadn’t performed live in 20 years when, in 2022, she surprised audiences at the Newport Folk Festival, joining Brandi Carlile for a guest-filled “Joni Jam.”

Mitchell again returned to the stage in June 2023, headlining a night at Carlile’s Echoes Through the Canyon festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington. The set again featured a “Joni Jam” with guests like Annie Lennox and Sarah McLachlan.

Joni has received several accolades over the course of her career. She was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. She received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2021 and was awarded the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2023.

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The perfect holiday gift for the Bruce Springsteen fan in your life may end up costing you more than a ticket to see one of his shows in 2024.

Photographer Lynn Goldsmith, who dated Bruce in the ’70s, has documented his Darkness on The Edge of Town era in a new book, which is being published this month. Because Goldsmith had inside access to Bruce and the E Street Band, she was able to capture him and the band in intimate moments, as well as moments when they, as Goldsmith writes, “left everything on the stage to create a musical performance that suggested the failures and glories of being human.” 

Springsteen writes in the book’s foreword,  “These photos remain a record of a time when I truly played for my life, night after night.”

The lavish, 364-page hardcover book is a limited edition of only 1,978 copies, each numbered and signed by Goldsmith. You can order it now, but the bad news is that it costs $750.

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Neither of them are Scottish, but Elton John and The Who were among the winners at the Scottish Music Awards, held November 4 in Glasgow.

Elton received the Global Artist Award, which was accepted by his bandmate, Scot Davey Johnstone. But when Johnstone was given the Outstanding Achievement Award, Elton appeared via video to congratulate him.

According to the Scottish Sun, Elton said to Johnstone, “You’re certainly the best guitarist, I think, to ever come out of Scotland, and that’s saying a lot. I’ve had the best time playing alongside you … you’re an incredible musician and have been with me so long.”

“You’ve always inspired me with your brilliance. I can’t think of anyone who deserves this award more than you and I love you dearly,” he added.

The Who won the Icon Award, and Roger Daltrey accepted remotely. The Scottish Music Awards ceremony raises money for Nordoff & Robbins, the U.K.’s largest music therapy charity, which The Who has supported for decades.

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While “Now and Then” is billed as the last song from The Beatles, director Peter Jackson, who helmed the Get Back documentary and directed the “Now and Then” video, says it might not be quite as final as that.

While speaking to the U.K.’s Sunday Times about “Now and Then,” Jackson was asked if there’s any footage from the Get Back sessions of the band — for example, jamming on a random song or piece of music — that could be turned into another “new” track.

“It did cross my mind!” Jackson tells the Sunday Times. “We can take a performance from Get Back, separate John [Lennon] and George [Harrison], and then have Paul [McCartney] and Ringo [Starr] add a chorus or harmonies.”

“You might end up with a decent song but I haven’t had conversations with Paul about that,” he added. “It’s fanboy stuff, but certainly conceivable.”

Jackson also says he agreed to work on the project — which was created using technology he developed to isolate the audio tracks for Get Back — because of what he believes John Lennon was trying to say when he wrote “Now and Then.”

“It sounds like John is writing a message [to the rest of the Beatles] as an apology for however he may have behaved,” Jackson says. “I found that incredibly moving, that the final Beatles song is the Beatles singing to each other.”

In the same interview, McCartney says he wants to hang on to The Beatles just as much as the fans do.

“I like the idea of not letting go of each other,” he says, noting that when you love someone you don’t want to let go. “They’re in your memory, always in your heart. And, yes, that’s certainly true of me and the boys.”

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Alan Parsons, the recording engineer-turned-Alan Parsons Project leader, will turn 75 on December 20, so some of his famous pals are gathering in Santa Barbara, California, next month to mark the occasion at a charity concert. And you can attend.

Michael McDonald, Al Stewart, Terry Sylvester of The Hollies and David Pack of Ambrosia are among the stars taking part in the Alan Parsons and Friends 75th Birthday Tribute Concert, scheduled for December 20 at the historic Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara. Tickets go on sale November 9 at 10 a.m. PT.

This isn’t just a random collection of artists, though: Parsons has worked with all of them. While he’s famous for engineering albums like Abbey Road, Let It Be and Dark Side of the Moon, Parsons also either mixed or produced the first two albums by Ambrosia, five albums by The Hollies and Al Stewart’s 1976 album, Year of the Cat, including its hit title track. McDonald has also performed with Parson numerous times.

Proceeds from the show will go to the charity One805, which supports the first responders of Santa Barbara County.

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Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson‘s latest solo project will encompass not just an album but a comic book series, as well.

The first single from the album part of The Mandrake Project will be out December 1. It’s called “Afterglow of Ragnarok,” and as fans of Norse mythology — and Marvel movies — know, Ragnarok refers to the so-called Twilight of the Gods, when the world will be destroyed and gods like Loki, Odin and Thor will perish.

In a statement, Dickinson says, “It was important to set the tone of the project with this track. As befitting its title, it’s a heavy song and there’s a great big riff driving it … but there’s also a real melody in the chorus that displays the light and shade that the rest of the album brings … and just wait until you see the video!”

The Mandrake Project is described as a “dark, adult story of power, abuse and a struggle for identity, set against the backdrop of scientific and occult genius.” The album itself is due in 2024, as is the comic book series,  comprised of 12 episodes that will eventually make up three graphic novels.

The vinyl 7-inch single version of “Afterglow of Ragnarok” will come with an eight-page comic prequel to The Mandrake Project. The flip side of the single features Dickinson’s solo demo of the 2015 Iron Maiden song “If Eternity Should Fail.”

The Mandrake Project will be Dickinson’s first solo album since 2005’s Tyranny Of Souls.

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