Classic Rock News

Steely Dan has announced the latest album in their vinyl reissue program. This time the band is set to release 1980’s Gaucho, marking the first time it’s been available on vinyl in 15 years. 

Dropping December 1, the reissue has been remastered from a 1980 analog tape copy and will be released on 180 gram black vinyl, as well as a limited-edition premium 45 RPM version on Ultra High-Quality Vinyl.

Released November 21, 1980, Gaucho was Steely Dan’s seventh studio album and featured the top 10 hit “Hey Nineteen,” as well as “Babylon Sisters” and “Time Out of Mind.” The album earned a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year and won a trophy for Best Engineered Recording-Non Classical. 

This will be the fifth Steely Dan record to get a vinyl reissue. The reissue program, which Donald Fagen has overseen, started with their 1972 debut, Can’t Buy a Thrill, reissued in November 2022. It was then followed by 1973’s Countdown to Ecstasy, which dropped in May; 1974’s Pretzel Logic, which dropped in July; and Aja, which was released in September. 

The program plans to reissue two more albums — 1975’s Katy Lied and 1976’s The Royal Scam — over the next year.

Gaucho is available for preorder now.

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Last April marked the 45th anniversary of The Band’s iconic concert film The Last Waltz, and now the occasion is being marked with a new reissue, screenings and more.

The celebrations start on October 6 with the release of a three-LP audiophile pressing of the soundtrack. That will be followed that evening by a record release party taking place at Analog inside the Hutton Hotel in Nashville, which will feature an exhibit of photos of The Band and Bob Dylan by Ernst Haas, as well as a Q&A with the soundtrack’s producer and engineer, Rob Fraboni.

And fans who never got to see The Last Waltz on the big screen will now get their chance. Fathom Events will bring the movie back to theaters nationwide for one night only on November 5, with screenings at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Information on which theaters will be showing The Last Waltz can be found at fathomevents.com.

The Last Waltz, directed by Martin Scorsese, focused on The Band’s farewell concert, which took place Thanksgiving Day in 1976 at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. It featured guest appearances by Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Ronnie Wood, Neil Diamond, Van Morrison, Neil Young and more.

Considered one of the greatest concert documentaries of all time, in 2019 the film was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry.

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On This Day, October 3, 1949…

Lindsey Buckingham, former singer, lead guitarist and songwriter for Fleetwood Mac, was born in Palo Alto, California.

Before joining Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham and his then-girlfriend Stevie Nicks recorded together as Buckingham Nicks, releasing their debut album in September 1973. 

In 1974, Mick Fleetwood invited Lindsey to join Fleetwood Mac, but he would only join if Stevie was with him. The addition of the pair led to huge commercial success for Fleetwood Mac, with the first album featuring the duo, 1975’s self-titled release, going to #1, and the follow-up, Rumours, also topping the chart and becoming the band’s best-selling album.

Buckingham is responsible for writing such Fleetwood Mac classics as “Go Your Own Way,” “Never Going Back Again,” “Tusk,” and “Big Love.”

Buckingham was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Fleetwood Mac in 1998. 

He left and rejoined Fleetwood Mac several times over the years, with his last departure coming in April, 2018, when he says he was fired from the group over a disagreement about touring.

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A museum dedicated to Ozzy Osbourne is opening in his hometown of Birmingham, England.

Sharon Osbourne shared details about the upcoming exhibition during the latest episode of The Osbournes Podcast.

“He’s having all of his awards, all his stage clothes, posters … I’ve got so much memorabilia,” Sharon said. “We’re gonna do it totally interactive — every video, every live show of [Ozzy’s], everything there.”

Sharon added that the museum will also offer music classes.

“We’re gonna get friends and other musicians, and they’re gonna teach,” she said.

The opening date for the museum has yet to be announced, so stay tuned.

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Dead & Company wrapped what they said will be their final tour back in July, but it sounds like this won’t be the last time we hear from the band. 

While appearing on Watch What Happens Live, John Mayer said he believes the group, which also consists of Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, along with Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti, will play again.

When asked about the chances of him going on the road with Dead & Company again, Mayer suggested that the words “on the road” were the issue. “We will play shows,” he said. “I have to believe we love this music so much we’re gonna play shows.”

He added, “We just are trying to figure out what that looks like for the future, but everyone has it in their hearts to keep playing.”

And while there are no plans just yet, host Andy Cohen offered a suggestion, which Mayer seems to be all for. “Two weeks at the Sphere,” Cohen said, referring to the state-of-the-art venue U2 just opened in Las Vegas, with Mayer nodding along at the possibility.

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The Rolling Stones are getting even more fashionable as they get ready to launch Hackney Diamonds, their first album of new material in 18 years.

The legendary rockers just announced they are collaborating with British fashion designer Paul Smith for a collection coinciding with the release. Details on Rolling Stones x Paul Smith are coming soon, but it will include an exclusive limited-edition Hackney Diamonds vinyl, as well as collectable T-shirts.

The Paul Smith website notes that he “couldn’t be more honored to have been asked to work with the band on this incredible project.”

But this isn’t the only unique way The Stones are promoting their upcoming album. They previously announced a collaboration with Major League Baseball for limited-edition white vinyl versions of the album, tailored to each of the 30 MLB teams.

Hackney Diamonds, dropping October 20, is available for preorder now.

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Lynyrd Skynyrd has made their New Year’s Eve plans. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will continue to celebrate their 50th anniversary with a performance on CBS’ New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, which kicks off Sunday, December 31, at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The special will air live from Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, with country stars Thomas Rhett and Lainey Wilson also confirmed to perform, and more artists to be announced at a future date.

The concert, which is free and open to the public, will ring in 2024 with a Music Note Drop at midnight. The special will feature over 50 performances from a variety of locations across Music City. 

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Styx is returning to Las Vegas in 2024.

The rockers just announced five new shows at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. The new dates kick off January 26 and are followed by shows on January 27, 31, February 2 and 3.

A Styx fan club presale begins Tuesday, October 3, at 10 a.m. PT, with the general onsale set for Friday, October 6, 10 a.m. PT.

Styx fans still have plenty of chances to see the band onstage in 2023. They are set to play Shipshewana, Indiana, on October 12, with several dates on the books for October and November. A complete list of Styx shows can be found at styxworld.com.

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Music fans will once again be lining up at their favorite independent record stores to snag one-of-a-kind releases on Friday, November 24, for the 2023 edition of Record Store Day Black Friday.

Among this year’s releases: 

Joni Mitchell is contributing Court and Spark Demos, a collection of never-before-heard early recordings of songs off her classic 1974 album, ahead of its upcoming 50th anniversary. 

The Doors‘ Live in Bakersfield, which captures a 1970 concert around the time of Jim Morrison‘s indecent exposure trial, will be available as a two-LP and two-CD set.

The March 2, 1969, Grateful Dead concert at San Francisco’s Fillmore West will be released as a five-LP package.

War’s releasing The World is a Ghetto (50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition), featuring alternative takes, reimagined tracks and more off their classic album. 

The 2023 Record Store Day Black Friday will also include releases by Jerry Garcia, Faces, INXS, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & The Papas, Gram Parsons, Mötley Crüe, The Monkees, Gov’t Mule and the late Jeff Beck.

For the full list of releases and participating stores, visit RecordStoreDay.com.

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After Lindsey Buckingham was fired from Fleetwood Mac in 2018, the band replaced him with two guitarists — Neil Finn and Mike Campbell — and continued. Now that Christine McVie has passed away, Stevie Nicks says the band is over, as far as she’s concerned.

Speaking to Vulture, Stevie says, “When Christine died, I felt like you can’t replace her. You just can’t. Without her, what is it? You know what I mean? She was like my soul mate, my musical soul mate … Christine was my best friend.”

“Who am I going to look over to on the right and have them not be there behind that Hammond organ?” she continued. “When she died, I figured we really can’t go any further with this. There’s no reason to.”

Stevie also talked about her new Stevie Nicks Barbie doll, which she decided should be wearing a Rumours-era outfit, complete with platform boots, chiffon skirt and feathered hair. “It’s who I was, and who I still am,” she tells Vulture.

She also reveals she has a Ken to go with the Stevie Barbie; the early ’80s model features Ken with dark hair, dressed as Elvis in a white jumpsuit.

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