Classic Rock News

Just in time for the holidays, the late Jimmy Buffet’s 1996 Christmas album, Christmas Island, is being released on vinyl for the first time. 

The album features covers of holiday staples like “Jingle Bells,” “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “Up on the House Top” and “Run Rudolph Run” along with the John Lennon classic “Happy Xmas (War is Over).” It also features two originals, “A Sailor’s Christmas” and “Merry Christmas, Alabama (Never Far from Home),” along with the original release’s hidden track, Buffett’s take on “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

The original album was released on CD, with Buffett sharing in the liner notes that he was a Christmas baby, born on the same day W.C. Fields died. “I think this only goes to prove that God does have a sense of humor,” he noted.

Buffett added, “Christmas Island is a collection of songs, not ladled over with sugary sentimentality and not too far out there in the strange corridors down which my mind sometimes wanders, and I hope it is what you would expect from the Christmas War baby turned island boy born on the day W.C. Fields died.”

Christmas Island will be released December 15 with two vinyl options: standard black and limited edition red. It is available for preorder now.

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If you’re looking for the perfect gift for the Deadhead in your life, a new auction may make shopping a little easier.

ANALOGr.com is launching a new auction, Live: Dead, on November 30, celebrating the history and impact of the Grateful Dead. The auction will include memorabilia from the archives of the band and members Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, as well as Rat Dog’s Rob Wasserman and Dead engineer Dan Healy.

Some of the items up for auction include a functioning one-quarter-scale replica of the original Wall of Sound system, designed in 1973 by Owsley “Bear” Stanley specifically for The Dead’s live shows. There will also be a Jerry Garcia touring guitar rig, Wally Heider Studios recording equipment, over 1,100 unused backstage passes from 1977 to 1995, official vintage Dead T-shirts from as far back as 1978, photography, art and posters.

A VIP preview of all the items being auctioned off will take place November 27 at Soho House Warehouse in downtown Los Angeles, with the auction opening November 30 at 10 p.m. PT. The auction will wrap with a special invite-only event on December 2, featuring a performance by The Dead cover band The People’s Dead.

More info can be found at ANALOGr.com.

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Earlier this month, The Rolling Stones teased fans with a post sharing the website crossfirehurricane.com. While some were hoping the band was hinting at a tour, there’s no tour news just yet. But they are giving fans something else: booze. 

Crossfire Hurricane is actually a newly launched Caribbean rum created by the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers. It is a blend of rums from Jamaica, Barbados and the Dominican Republic, which are aged in oak barrels.

“To us, the Caribbean is more than just a beautiful place. It’s a part of our story,” Mick Jagger and Keith Richards share on the rum’s website. “This aged, blended rum is our tribute to the islands that have inspired us for decades. Enjoy it neat, on the rocks or in the cocktail of your choosing – but never in silence.”

And the band is even giving you ideas on how to use the new rum, with the website offering up recipes for four different cocktails: the Two Licks, Gold and Stormy, Crossfire Mojito and Crossfire Espresso Martini. 

Crossfire Hurricane is available to order now.

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Nikki Sixx is opening up about a scary situation he’s been dealing with. The Mötley Crüe rocker revealed in a post on Instagram that two stalkers have been targeting him and his family. 

“Like many other public figures, myself and my family were harassed and threatened by a stalker,” he writes. “A deranged woman from Tennessee, who I have never met or seen before, targeted my wife and child with threats of death and bodily harm.” 

Sixx says he was forced to go to court after the harassment “got progressively more scary,” and he took out restraining orders that she violated multiple times, leading a judge to order her arrest.

But it didn’t end there. Sixx also shares that the FBI is investigating a second stalker who came to his house and threatened the lives of him and his family.

“It’s one thing to threaten my safety but when it comes to serious threats against my wife and children it just becomes beyond alarming,” he writes. “They do not deserve this.” 

“Thank you to the FBI, law enforcement, the detectives and the legal and court system for treating these threats with the severity and urgency they require,” he adds, noting, “I will go to any lengths to protect my family.”

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Guns N’ Roses are embroiled in a lawsuit filed by a photographer who worked for them for over a decade.

According to Rolling Stone, Katarina Benzova filed a lawsuit accusing the band of copyright infringement, alleging their management company “falsely claim[ed] ownership” over her photographs. She also accused the band’s manager, Fernando Lebeis, of sexual harassment.

But weeks prior to Benzova’s suit, Guns N’ Roses sued her, arguing she “improperly registered” for a copyright for the photos of the band, which they say they own.

“Ms. Benzova was initially contracted to provide tour photography services for Guns N’ Roses in 2010. She worked with the band for 12 years and was paid and treated extraordinarily well,” the band said in a statement to the magazine. “It was only after her services were discontinued in 2022 that she attempted to claim ownership in photos, which her contract clearly states are owned by the band.”

But Benzova argues in her suit that she was just a freelancer and worked without a formal contract throughout her 12 years with the band, with the exception of an 18-week period. She says GNR’s management is falsely claiming to own the photos from the non-contracted period and has been using them without consent in ads, various media outlets and more.

Her suit requests a court order that names her the “sole owner” of any photos taken during that contracted period. 

As for the sexual harassment, she says it began in 2016 and got so bad she went out of her way to never be alone with Lebeis. She says after rejecting him, Lebeis retaliated by lowering her pay, withholding money, and withholding photo credits.

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Bon Jovi is getting into the Christmas spirit. The rockers just announced they’ll be releasing a new, original holiday tune, “Christmas Isn’t Christmas,” on Friday, November 17.

This isn’t the first time Bon Jovi has helped soundtrack the holidays. Previously released Christmas tunes by the band include the original track “I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas” and covers of “Please Come Home For Christmas” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”

In 2020, frontman Jon Bon Jovi 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.”

“Christmas Isn’t Christmas” is available for preorder now. Those who order it will be entered for a chance to win one of three Bon Jovi Monopoly sets, autographed by Jon.

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 Bob Geldof is not a fan of his own work … at least when it comes to acting.

According to Deadline, the rocker is taking part in Poland’s Camerimage International Film Festival, where he’ll introduce a screening of the 1982 film Pink Floyd – The Wall. During a Q&A, Geldof, who stars in the film, didn’t have good things to say about his work.

“No, I don’t like the film. I think I’m really bad,” he said when asked about its importance to his career.

“I’ve seen the movie twice, and I was embarrassed. I was just embarrassed every day by how sh** I was,” he explained, adding, “I don’t like looking at myself. I don’t like listening to myself. I don’t like hearing myself. The last thing I want is to see myself on the side of a building.”

Geldof joked that money was the reason he did the film, although he didn’t get much. He called Pink Floyd “hippies” who were “terrible with money.” 

Geldof also didn’t have nice things to say about other musicians who dabbled in acting, noting artists like Sting, David Bowie and Bob Dylan weren’t good at it. He did acknowledge that Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra could act, suggesting they were better because they didn’t write songs and just interpreted what others wrote.

“So their job was to find the psychology in a song. My job is to project myself on stage. I’m singing things that are in my head,” he explained.

During the same Q&A, Geldof revealed there’s a lot of new Live Aid content in the works, including an IMAX film and a six-part series on Disney. He previously revealed that a Live Aid musical is happening and will open in London at the end of January.

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Judas Priest is getting ready to drop their new album, Invincible Shield, on March 8, and they’ll be heading out on the road to support it. 

The heavy metal Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just announced dates for their Invincible Shield Tour featuring special guests Sabaton. The tour kicks off April 18 in Wallingford, Connecticut, hitting Boston, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., and more, before wrapping May 22 in Syracuse, New York.

Ticket sales kick off with an artist presale on Wednesday, November 15, followed by a public onsale starting Friday, November 17, at 10 a.m. local time.

Invincible Shield, Judas Priest’s first new album since 2018’s Firepower, is available for preorder now.

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Rush’s Geddy Lee kicked off a book tour at New York City’s Beacon Theatre on November 13, promoting his new memoir, My Effin’ Life, which is out now

Each show features Geddy in conversation with a special guest, and New York got Paul Rudd, a huge Rush fan in real life and in the movie I Love You Man.

Rudd chatted with Geddy about the band’s early days, how KISS taught them what it means to be professionals, and Geddy’s experience of getting fired from the band, only for them to ask him back. Geddy also discussed his parent’s history as Holocaust survivors and how that affected his upbringing. Both he and Rudd noted the topic was important, especially in today’s climate.

Several times during the evening, Lee got choked up talking about his grief over the death of late Rush drummer Neil Peart and the loss of Peart’s daughter and first wife in the late ’90s.

Geddy also read two excerpts from the book, one of which explained how his birth name, Gershon Eliezer Weinrib, became Geddy Lee.

During a Q&A section, Lee got emotional when asked if he ever listens to Rush music. Instead of answering, he recalled how Peart listened to Rush’s entire catalog before his 2020 death and shared how important it was for him to let Lee know he was proud of their work together.

In addition to the book, Geddy has new music for fans. “I Am You Are” and “Gone,” which he said were created from old demos, were played in the theater; they’re included in the memoir’s audiobook.

Lee’s book tour hits Philadelphia on November 15. A complete list of dates can be found at rush.com.

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Here’s a tour Van Halen fans won’t want to miss. Sammy Hagar is set to front The Best of All Worlds Tour, where he’ll be joined by Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Joe Satriani.

Coming on the heels of the recent box set The Collection II, which highlighted the Hagar-era Van Halen albums, the 28-date tour will have the group playing Van Halen classics along with tunes from Hagar’s other bands The Circle and Chickenfoot.

“It’s crazy to think that it’ll be 20 years since Mikey and I played these songs with Van Halen on the 04’ Best of Both Worlds Tour,” Hagar shares. “With Joe on board, we can take a deeper dive into those years. We’re going to touch on some hits from my entire career but seeing fans old and new really embrace the new collection set off something in Mikey and I.”

He adds, “The music we created is going to outlive us all. They deserve to be heard so it’s time we go out and serve the fans that music, while we still can.”

The tour, featuring special guest Loverboy, kicks off July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida, and wraps August 31 in St. Louis, Missouri.

A ticket presale kicks off Wednesday, November 15, at 10 a.m., with the general onsale happening Friday, November 17, at 10 a.m. A complete list of dates can be found at redrocker.com.

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