Classic Rock News

After being missing for more than 50 years, Paul McCartney’s long-lost Höfner has been found.

The Lost Bass Project has been searching for McCartney’s bass since 2018. Back in September it took the search global, determined to find the instrument, which has been described as “the most important bass in history.”

McCartney purchased the bass in Hamburg, Germany, in 1961 and used it to write such classics as “Love Me Do” and “She Loves You.” Initially it was believed to have last been seen in 1969, following the filming of Get Back, but a tip led to the discovery that it had actually been stolen in 1972 from a truck parked in Notting Hill, West London. 

On Wednesday McCartney announced on his website that the bass is finally back in his possession.

“Following the launch of last year’s Lost Bass project, Paul’s 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass guitar, which was stolen in 1972, has been returned,” the post reads. “The guitar has been authenticated by Höfner and Paul is incredibly grateful to all those involved.”

“We are extremely proud that we played a major part in finding the Lost Bass,” The Lost Bass Project shared on its site. “It has been a dream since 2018 that it could be done. Despite many telling us that it was lost forever or destroyed, we persisted until it was back where it belonged.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

When Neil Young & Crazy Horse announced their upcoming tour, they revealed they’ll be releasing a new album, FU##IN’ UP. Well, now we know a little bit more about the record.

The release has Young and his legendary band, currently made up of Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, Micah Nelson and Nils Lofgren, sharing nine new recordings of old Young & Crazy Horse tunes. All the songs have been given new titles, with the exception of  “Farmer John,” a song originally recorded in 1959 by Don “Sugarcane” Harris and Dewey Terry and then covered by The Premiers in 1964.

“In the spirit it’s offered, we made this for the Horse lovers,” Young shares. “I can’t stop it. The Horse is runnin’. What a ride we have. I don’t want to mess with the vibe, and I am so happy to have this to share.”

A clear vinyl two-LP limited edition of FU##IN’ UP will be available on Record Store Day, April 20, and comes with a litho print. The black vinyl, CD and digital edition will be released April 26.

Young & Crazy Horse recently announced dates for the Love Earth Tour, which kicks off with two nights in San Diego, April 24 and 25. Tickets to the show come with a physical CD of the album. A complete list of dates can be found at livenation.com.

Here are the tracks on FU##IN’ UP:

“City Life”
“Feels Like A Railroad”
“Heart Of Steel”
“Broken Circle”
“Valley Of Hearts”
“Farmer John”
“Walkin’ In My Place”
“To Follow One’s Own Dream”
“Chance On Love”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ian Hunter released his guest-filled album Defiance Part 1 last April, and now, almost a year later, he’s ready to unleash Part 2.

The Mott The Hoople frontman will release Defiance Part 2: Fiction on April 19 — and just like with his last record, he’s enlisted some of his A-list friends for the project. 

Defiance Part 2 will once again feature the late Jeff Beck and the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, as well as Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, Stone Temple Pilots’ Dean and Robert DeLeo and Johnny Depp, who also created the album’s cover.

New guests on the album include Def Leppard’s Phil Collen, Queen’s Brian May, Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen and Tom Petersson, The Black Crowes’ Chris and Rich Robinson, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and Matt Cameron, Lucinda Williams and Heartbreakers‘ Benmont Tench.

Hunter is giving fans their first preview of the record with the release of the new song “Precious,” which features Hawkins on drums, Elliott on background vocals and May on guitar. You can stream the song now via digital services and on YouTube.

And Hunter has plans for even more music, revealing he’s already hard at work on Defiance Part 3.

“I never initiated this,” Hunter says. “It just kind of just happened and it turned out great. So I’m going to write some more songs and we’ll see what happens again.”

Defiance Part 2: Fiction is available for preorder now.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Record Store Day has announced the list of exclusive releases for its 2024 event, taking place in independent record stores on April 20. Here are some of the offerings that will be available this year:

Two George Harrison albums, Wonderwall Music and Electronic Sound, will be released in limited Zoetrope picture disc pressings, part of a Dark Horse Records and Record Store Day partnership that plans to release Zoetrope picture disc pressings of the late musician’s entire catalog.

The Who is releasing the 1976 compilation The Story of The Who on colored pink and green vinyl. This is the album’s first official U.S. release, and the first time it’s been available globally since 1989.

Grateful Dead is releasing the live recording Nightfall of Diamonds for the first time on 180g vinyl. The four-LP set features a complete show from October 16, 1989, with performances of such songs as “Uncle John’s Band,” “Dark Star” and more. 

Plus, there will be two releases by The Rolling Stones. The band’s debut album, The Rolling Stones UK, is being released on 180g blue and black swirled vinyl in a special bespoke package. They will also release Live at Racket, NYC, a recording of their October 2023 Hackney Diamonds album release concert, previously only available as a bonus CD on the live edition of Hackney Diamonds. 

RSD 2024 will also feature exclusive releases from U2, The Beatles, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Yes, Def Leppard, Queen, Ramones, The Black Crowes, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, David Bowie, Talking Heads and more, including a Lou Reed tribute album featuring newly recorded covers from Keith Richards, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and others.

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

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

You can now bring Mötley Crüe home sweet home in action figure form.

The toy company Super7 is releasing plastic recreations of Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil, Tommy Lee and Mick Mars, complete with “the infamous makeup, the big hair, and the stage image that defined Mötley Crüe in the 1980s.”

Each figure stands 3.75 inches tall and costs $20. You can also buy a four-pack featuring all members for $80, which may be the closest thing you’ll get to a reunion of the classic Mötley lineup nowadays — the band’s been involved in legal action with Mars following the guitarist’s 2022 retirement from touring, which ultimately led to his departure from the group.

To buy your own Mötley Crüe action figures, visit Super7.com.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Queen has announced a special Record Store Day release of the track “Cool Cat,” a B-side from their 10th studio album, Hot Space.

The tune, written and performed solely by Freddie Mercury and John Deacon, will be released as a limited-edition, 7-inch pink vinyl for Record Store Day, April 20, with a previously unreleased instrumental version of the song on side B. It will be the first time the tune’s ever been released as a single. 

“Cool Cat” has recently seen a resurgence thanks to its appearance in an ad for Amazon Prime, which was directed by Olivia Wilde. The clip features a young girl who is inspired by images of Mercury to embrace her own unique style. 

Originally released in 1982, “Cool Cat” was the B-side to “Las Palabras De Amor,” which was a top 20 hit in the U.K. Both songs appeared on Hot Space, which also featured the hit tracks “Under Pressure” and “Body Language.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The career of legendary drummer Carl Palmer is being celebrated with a new career-spanning box set.

Carl Palmer Fanfare for the Common Man will consist of three CDs of music from Palmer’s various bands, including the Carl Palmer Band; Emerson, Lake & Palmer; and Asia. There will also be a Blu-ray, The Rhythm of Life, featuring a Palmer-narrated documentary, as well as live performances and behind-the-scenes footage from throughout his career.

But that’s not all. The box set also comes with a 200-page Palmer autobiography that’s filled with some of the rocker’s personal photos.

Carl Palmer Fanfare for the Common Man will be released April 5. It is available for preorder now.

Palmer is currently on tour with his Return of Emerson, Lake & Palmer show, which has him and his band playing alongside rare footage of his late bandmates Keith Emerson and Greg Lake. The tour hits Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday, February 15. A complete list of dates can be found at carlpalmer.com.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Rod Stewart is joining artists like The Beach Boys, Cher, Linda Ronstadt, Stephen Stills and The Beach Boys on the roster of Iconic Artists Group, which acquires and manages the rights to artists’ music and brands. Iconic’s CEO is music industry veteran and manager Irving Azoff.

Rod has sold the rights to his recordings to Iconic, as well as his interest in his music publishing and other rights. Financial details of the deal were not announced, but sources tell the Wall Street Journal that the figure is close to $100 million.

In a statement, Rod said, “This year marks my 60th year in the music industry. The time is right, and I feel fortunate to have found partners in Irving and his team at Iconic that I can entrust with my life’s work and future musical legacy.”

Azoff added, “We are thrilled to welcome one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters of our time, Rod Stewart, to the Iconic family.”

Rod’s new album, Swing Fever, is out on February 23.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, February 15, 1979…

At the 21st annual Grammy Awards, Billy Joel won Record and Song of the Year for the love song “Just the Way You Are.”

The track, written for Joel’s first wife and former manager, was the second single off his fifth studio album The Stranger, and was his first U.S. Top 10 single, with the tune peaking at #3. It was also his first gold single.

Over the course of Joel’s career, he has won five Grammy Awards and was awarded a Grammy Legend Award in 1991.

On February 4, 2024, Joel returned to the Grammys to perform “Turn the Lights Back On,” his first new single in 17 years, as well as the classic “You May Be Right.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of David Bowie’s eighth studio album, Diamond Dogs, and the milestone is being marked with a new vinyl release.

The record is set to be issued as a limited-edition 50th anniversary half-speed mastered LP and picture disc, both from the original master tapes. They will be released on May 24, 50 years to the day of the original album’s release. 

The news was announced on the 50th anniversary of the Diamond Dogs‘ first single, “Rebel Rebel,” which reached #5 in the U.K. and went on to become a classic Bowie track. 

Diamond Dogs was a commercial success for Bowie, going to #1 in the U.K. and #5 in the U.S. It was certified Gold by the RIAA.

The limited-edition 50th anniversary release of Diamond Dogs is available for preorder now.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.