Classic Rock News

Chicago is helping fans get into the Christmas spirit.

The band is set to release the compilation Chicago Greatest Christmas Hits featuring songs from the band’s previous three Christmas albums: 1998’s Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album and its 2003 reissue, which was titled What’s It Gonna Be, Santa?; 2011’s Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas Three; and 2019’s Chicago XXXVII: Chicago Christmas.

The collection has the band covering such holiday classics as “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” and “Wonderful Christmas Time” with a guest appearance by Dolly Parton.

Chicago Greatest Christmas Hits will be released November 3 digitally, and on CD and red vinyl. It will also be released on green vinyl, but it will be a Barnes & Noble exclusive. The album is available for preorder now.

But that’s not all. Rhino is set to reissue O Christmas Three on CD, plus all of Chicago’s Christmas albums are being bundled together as a three-CD set, Chicago Christmas Complete, that will also be released November 3. There will also be a digital playlist featuring songs from the albums.

All of this is set to come out ahead of Chicago headlining two very special Christmas shows in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Billed as Chicago & Friends, the concerts are happening November 17 and 18 at Ovation Hall at the Ocean Casino Resort, with the band welcoming special guests Chris Daughtry, Robin Thicke, Steve Vai, Robert Randolph and more. The shows will be filmed for the concert TV special Decades Rock Live.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Metallica has premiered a new video for “Too Far Gone?,” a track off the band’s new album, 72 Seasons.

The clip stars professional skateboarder Felipe Nunes, who lost both of his legs in a childhood accident, and also features footage from Metallica’s live debut of “Too Far Gone?” during their concert at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium in August.

You can watch the “Too Far Gone?” video streaming now on YouTube.

Metallica previously put out videos for every song off of 72 Seasons around its release in April. Each clip was also accompanied by American Sign Language interpretations. 

Metallica has been supporting 72 Seasons on the M72 world tour, which continues with the Power Trip festival, taking place October 6-8. The much-anticipated event, which takes place at the same site of Coachella in Indio, California, also features AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Tool.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bob Marley & The Wailers’ classic album Catch A Fire is being reissued in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

Dropping November 3, the reissue will be released as a three-LP set, as well as a three-CD set and digitally. All versions will feature the full studio recording, along with a 10-song live album, Live From The Paris Theatre London, and Sessions, an album of alternative and extended takes, as well as instrumental Jamaican versions of Catch A Fire songs.

In addition, the vinyl will include a 12-inch featuring three live performances recorded at the Sundown Theatre in Edmonton, North London, in May 1973. Those three songs — “Slave Driver,” “Get Up, Stand Up” and “Stop That Train” — will also be included on the CD. You can listen to “Slave Driver” now via digital outlets and on YouTube. 

All formats of Catch A Fire are available for preorder now.

The reissue comes as a new biopic on Marley, Bob Marley: One Love, is scheduled to hit theaters January 12, 2024. It stars British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir as Marley and Captain Marvel actress Lashana Lynch as Marley’s wife, Rita.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Who is set to be honored at the Scottish Music Awards later this year.

The London Evening Standard reports that the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will be honored with the icon award for their achievements and contributions to music. 

The Scottish Music Awards will take place November 4 at Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow, with the ceremony raising funds for Nordoff and Robbins, a music therapy charity that’s been very important to The Who over the years.

“We’ve been involved with Nordoff and Robbins since the beginning… and it’s good to see it’s still going,” The Who’s Roger Daltrey shares. “I hope people continue to support the charity.”

Meanwhile, fans of The Who have a lot to look forward to this week. On Friday, September 15, they’ll drop Who’s Next/Life House super deluxe edition featuring a whopping 155 tracks, with 89 songs that have never been released and 57 fresh remixes. It is available for preorder now.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Motörhead‘s 1983 album, Another Perfect Day, is being reissued in honor of its 40th anniversary.

The expanded set will arrive November 3 and includes remastered audio of the original album, various B-sides and demos and a previously unreleased full live recording from a 1983 concert at England’s Hull City Hall.

One of the demos, an early recording of the track “Shine” back when it was called “Climber,” has been released alongside a new video streaming now on YouTube.

Another Perfect Day was Motörhead’s first album following the departure of guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke in 1982. Clarke, who was part of Motörhead’s classic lineup alongside frontman Lemmy Kilmister and drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor, was replaced on Another Perfect Day by Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson.

The Another Perfect Day reissue continues Motörhead’s series of archival releases following the death of Lemmy in 2015.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Barbie may have been a huge hit this summer, but not everyone is a fan. 

Derek Smalls, former vocalist and bass player of the heavy metal band Spinal Tap, has released his first new song in five years, “Must Crush Barbie,” in which he blasts everyone’s favorite doll.

“Been spending the last year or so as Brand Ambassador for BruegelCoin, the Dutch cryptocurrency,” Smalls shares. “Since it was cratering this past spring, I was following the news more than usual, which is where I got bombarded by all the Barbie BS.”

He adds, “I don’t know which angered me more, but it’s really hard to write a song about crypto. But the overwhelming shroud of pinkness definitely deserved a major pricking. And that’s where I came in.”

You can listen to “Must Crush Barbie” via digital outlets and on YouTube.

Released in 1984, This is Spinal Tap was a mockumentary about the fictional rock group Spinal Tap, made up of Harry Shearer as Smalls, Christopher Guest as guitarist Nigel Tufnel and Michael McKean as guitarist David St. Hubbin. Directed by Rob Reiner, the film poked fun of the ridiculous behavior of pretentious rock stars. In 2002, it was chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.

It sounds like there is more Spinal Tap on the way. In 2022, Reiner revealed that he was working on a sequel to the film, which will be celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2024.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, September 14, 1981…

The Rolling Stones headlined a surprise show at Sir Morgan’s Cove club in Worcester, Massachusetts. The concert was a warm-up show ahead of their American tour, and they were billed as Little Boy Blue & The Cockroaches.

After a local radio station spilled the beans on the secret, over 4,000 fans showed up to try and get into the 350 capacity venue.

Lucky fans who did get in got to see The Stones play such songs as “Under My Thumb,” “Honky Tonk Woman,” “Start Me Up,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Brown Sugar,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and more.

The Stones’ full tour kicked off September 25 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

After postponing a concert in Indianapolis due to unspecified illness, Pearl Jam resumed their tour on Wednesday, September 13, in Fort Worth, Texas, albeit with a slightly different lineup.

The show featured ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist and current PJ touring member Josh Klinghoffer on drums in place of Matt Cameron, who, according to Fort Worth Star-Telegram‘s recap, is recovering from a bout of COVID-19.

Additionally, the Star-Telegram reports that Eddie Vedder was battling the flu, though he still powered through the 27-song set, which included a cover of Van Halen‘s “Eruption.”

Cameron previously missed a few Pearl Jam shows in 2022, during which Klinghoffer filled in on drums alongside Jeff Ament collaborator Richard Stuverud, original drummer Dave Krusen and even a local high school student.

Pearl Jam’s tour will continue with a second show in Fort Worth on Friday, September 15. The Indianapolis date, which was originally scheduled for September 10, has yet to be rescheduled.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Rolling Stones have just dropped some more info about their upcoming album, Hackney Diamonds, which drops October 20. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have confirmed the guests appearing on the record, including the already announced appearance of their late drummer Charlie Watts on two tracks: “Mess It Up” and “Live By The Sword” featuring their former bassist Bill Wyman.

“Live By The Sword” also features special guest Elton John on piano; he also plays piano on the track “Get Close.”

While The Stones and The Beatles are often pitted against each other, the album will feature a guest appearance by Beatles legend Paul McCartney, who plays bass on the track “Bite My Head Off.”

Finally, as previously revealed, Lady Gaga provides vocals on “Sweet Sounds Of Heaven,” which also features keys and piano from Stevie Wonder.

Hackney Diamonds will be released in a variety of formats, including a limited edition blue vinyl and a limited edition CD and Blu-ray box set, with hi-res 24/96 audio and Dolby Atmos versions of the album, plus a 64-page book with exclusive essays and photos of the band. All formats are available for preorder now.

Here is the track list for the album:

“Angry”
“Get Close”
“Depending On You”
“Bite My Head Off”
“Whole Wide World”
“Dreamy Skies”
“Mess It Up”
“Live By The Sword”
“Driving Me Too Hard”
“Tell Me Straight”
“Sweet Sounds Of Heaven”
“Rolling Stone Blues”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

R.E.M.’s Mike Mills is reminiscing about the band’s music in a new interview with Vulture and says he’s still surprised that “Losing My Religion” wound up being such a big hit for the group.

“When we started out, radio was still the dominion of what people disparagingly referred to as ‘corporate rock.’ It was safe and there was nobody taking many chances on it,” he says. “So the fact that we were able to break some of those doors down was very gratifying.”

Mills says “Losing My Religion” was only expected to be a “warm up track” to help get the next single played on the radio, but it took off. 

“Nobody would expect a five-minute song with no chorus and a mandolin being the lead instrument to be played on the radio at all — much less become a worldwide number-one hit,” he says. “It was just crazy. Anybody that says they saw that coming is lying to you.”

The tune was so big, Mills says they were once riding in the jungle in Paraguay and heard it being played on the radio. “That was pretty surprising,” he says. “That’s when we knew we had a worldwide hit.” 

Released February 19, 1991, “Losing My Religion” was the first single off R.E.M.’s hit album Out of Time. It reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is the band’s highest-charting single to date. It also topped the Billboard Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock charts.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.