Classic Rock News

Rare Fleetwood Mac memorabilia is set to go up for auction later this week in England. The items were previously owned by the band’s former manager and agent, Clifford Adams, also known as Clifford Davis, and many document the early rise of the band.

There will be hundreds of items up for auction, including a personal letter Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green wrote to Adams, which he has had for 50 years. In it Green explains why he walked away from the band and decided to give away his possessions, writing, “I am convinced I will be much happier knowing I have helped relieve suffering in the world and steering clear of big money.”

There’s also a postcard bassist John McVie sent to Adams back in 1974, as well as Green’s driver’s license, which was given to Adams in 1981. Plus there’s Gold and Platinum discs, tour and radio contracts, and more.

“My archive is unique. There has never been anything like this available to buy in the band’s history,” Adams tells The London Evening Standard. “It’s the ultimate archive to own if you’re a Fleetwood Mac fan or considering writing a book about them.”

The auction is set to take place at Hansons Auctioneers in Kent, England, on Tuesday, November 21.

“This is an incredible, unique historical archive of one of the greatest bands of all time,” says Robin Fletcher, manager of Hansons. “Its comprehensive nature will stun and delight fans around the world. It’s priceless in terms of the wealth of information it offers.” 

More info on the items up for auction can be found at the-saleroom.com.

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Items that once belonged to Genesis frontman Phil Collins are going up for auction, The New York Post reports.

Collins’ ex-wife Orianne Cevey is selling $4 million worth of items, including the rocker’s personal Yamaha piano, which is expected to sell for between $50,000 and $100,000. There’s also a Wurlitzer jukebox, which was a gift to the couple from Collins’ manager when they got married in 1999. She’s also auctioning off her jewelry, purses and more. 

“It pains me to part with these cherished items, but I recently downsized homes and simply do not have room for many of the items,” she tells the paper. “These are some of our most prized family possessions.”

The Post notes Orianne had to downsize after her $6 million Florida home was foreclosed on in June.

Miami-based auction house Kodner Auction Gallery is handling the sale, which kicks off December 6 at 6 p.m. ET. Online bidding begins November 24. 

Collins and Cevey were married from 1999 to 2006. They have two sons, Nicholas and Matthew. Nicholas played drums on Genesis’ The Last Domino Tour, which kicked off in 2021 and was the band’s final tour.

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Allman Brothers Band’s classic live album Down in Texas ’71 has just been released as a two-LP “yellow rose of Texas” colored vinyl.

The critically acclaimed album was recorded September 28, 1971, at the Austin Municipal Auditorium in Texas, just two months after the release of the band’s debut live album, At Fillmore East. It features the original Allman Brothers lineup of Duane Allman, who passed away a month later, Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks and Jaimoe.

The nine-track album features performances of such songs as “Statesboro Blues,” “Trouble No More,” “You Don’t Love Me” and more.

The limited-edition Down in Texas ’71 colored vinyl is available now exclusively through Barnes & Noble.  

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The Beatles have been denied another #1. While early tracking suggested the legendary rockers’ remaster of 1967-1970 (The Blue Album) would land at #1 on the U.K. Official Albums Chart, it turns out they were no match for Taylor Swift.

Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) wound up at #1 for a third week, with The Blue Album settling for #2 and 1962-1966 (The Red Album) coming in at #3. Interestingly, when both albums were initially released in 1973, they peaked at these same positions.

Had The Beatles topped the chart, it would have been their 16th #1. Instead, they’ll just have to settle for maintaining their record of the most #1 albums in the U.K., with 15.

Meanwhile, The Beatles’ box set of both albums, which was initially expected to debut at #9, is at #33.

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Sting is heading to India in January. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is set to headline the 2024 installment of Lollapalooza India, marking his first performance at the iconic festival. 

This is the second time the two-day festival is being held in India. It is happening at Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai, January 27-28, with a bill that also includes Jonas Brothers, Halsey and OneRepublic.

More than 35 acts are on the bill for Lollapalooza India, including U.K. rockers Royal Blood and Keane. The complete lineup can be found at lollaindia.com. Tickets are on sale now.

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Eric Clapton’s iconic “The Fool” guitar has sold for big bucks at auction.

The 1964 Gibson SG electric guitar, which Clapton first played onstage while touring the U.S. with his band Cream, sold at Julien’s Auctions for a whopping $1.27 million, a new world record for a Clapton guitar.  

The famous guitar got its name because of its custom-painted psychedelic finish, courtesy of The Dutch art collective The Fool.

The new owner of the legendary instrument is Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, whose Jim Irsay Collection already consists of iconic rock memorabilia from artists like Elvis Presley, Jerry Garcia, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and more.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale will go to the mental health awareness initiative Kicking the Stigma, started by the Colts and the Irsay family.

“The Fool” sale was part of Julien’s Played, Worn, & Torn: Rock ‘N’ Roll Iconic Guitars and Memorabilia auction, which runs through Saturday, November 18. Also sold during the first day of the auction was one of Eddie Van Halen’s stage-played Charvel EVH series electric guitars, which went for $117,000, well above the original estimate of between $40,000 and $60,000. 

More information about the auction can be found at juliensauctions.com.

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Bob Dylan has come out in defense of Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner, who earlier this year was removed from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame board in response to comments he made in a New York Times interview that were deemed racist and sexist.

The rocker gave a shout-out to Wenner during his show Thursday, November 16, at the Beacon Theatre in New York, saying hello to him in the audience and telling the crowd, “Jann Wenner, surely everybody’s heard of him. Anyway, he just got booted out of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and we don’t think that’s right. We’re trying to get him back in.”

Wenner drew backlash while out promoting his recent book, The Masters. He tried to explain why it didn’t include interviews with any Black or female artists, saying there were no women “articulate enough on this intellectual level.” Regarding Black artists, he acknowledged the genius of Stevie Wonder but noted, “I suppose when you use a word as broad as ‘masters,’ the fault is using that word. Maybe Marvin Gaye, or Curtis Mayfield? I mean, they just didn’t articulate at that level.” 

Wenner did eventually apologize, noting the artists featured in the book — Dylan, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, Jerry Garcia, Bono and Bruce Springsteen — “were not meant to represent the whole of music and its diverse and important originators but to reflect the high points of my career and interviews.”

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Judas Priest is giving fans another preview of their upcoming album, Invincible Shield. The rockers just dropped the track “Trial By Fire,” the second song from the album following “Panic Attack,” which was released in October.

You can listen to “Trial By Fire” now via streaming services and on YouTube.

Invincible Shield, Judas Priest’s first new album since 2018’s Firepower, is due out March 8 and is available for preorder now.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers plan to hit the road in support of the record starting March 11 in Glasgow, Scotland. They’re bringing the tour to the U.S. starting April 18 in Wallingford, Connecticut. A complete list of dates can be found at judaspriest.com.

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Since lots of folks can’t get enough of holiday music, Bon Jovi has given them a new tune to enjoy this season.

The band just released the new Christmas song, “Christmas Isn’t Christmas,” on which frontman Jon Bon Jovi  laments how the holidays are not the same if a loved one isn’t there.

“’Christmas Isn’t Christmas’ is a song that I wrote about family,” the rocker shares. “The sentiment that Christmas really isn’t Christmas without YOU which can bring up a lot of memories for people. I also liked to turn it around and know that because of you Christmas IS Christmas.”

In a post on Instagram, Jon explains that he wrote the song two years ago on a “tough” day when both his father and mother had taken ill. He notes, “I wrote this as a gift to my parents and my children.”

You can listen to “Christmas Isn’t Christmas” now via streaming services and watch the lyric video on YouTube. 

Bon Jovi has plenty of experience getting fans into the holiday spirit. They previously released the original Christmas track “I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas,” as well as covers of “Please Come Home For Christmas” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”

Plus, in 2020, Jon released a Christmas EP aptly titled A Jon Bon Jovi Christmas, which featured three songs: “Christmas All Over Again,” “Fairytale of New York” and “If I Get Home on Christmas Day.”

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On This Day, November 17, 2007…

Eagles topped the Billboard album chart with their seventh studio album Long Road Out of Eden, which was their sixth, and so far last, #1.

The record was their first since 1979’s The Long Run, and was also their first since firing Don Felder in 2001. It also turned out to be their last studio album with Glenn Fry, who passed away in 2016.

The album featured such singles as “How Long” and “Busy Being Fabulous,” which were hits on both the Hot Adult Contemporary and Hot Country Songs charts. Other singles include “What Do I Do With My Heart,” “No More Cloudy Days,” and “I Don’t Want to Hear Any More.”

Long Road Out of Eden went on to become the best-selling album of the year and has gone on to be certified seven-times Platinum by the RIAA.

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