Classic Rock News

Joe Perry was more than impressed the first time he heard Van Halen. In fact, in an interview with Guitar World, the Aerosmith guitarist reveals how hearing Van Halen for the first time contributed to his realization he needed a break from his band.

Perry left Aerosmith midway through the recording of their 1979 album Night in the Ruts because he was dealing with personal issues and needed to focus on himself. But, he says, “I also felt we needed to be more open to new ideas.”

“We were rolling into the ’80s, and I still remember hearing the first Van Halen record and f****** loving it,” Perry shares. “Eddie’s guitar playing was just so incredible; he turned guitar on its f****** ear and was doing stuff that I’d never heard before. I knew it was time for a break because new ideas were needed.”

He adds, “But we also needed to re-adjust our sights and learn to get along again. I remember saying, ‘We’re not ready for the ’80s.’ I don’t know why I said that; it was just a vibe or a feeling I had.”

Night in the Ruts was eventually released and Perry was still on it, despite his leaving. And he even has some good things to say about the album.

Perry says, “That record was a nightmare. But I have to say, it features some of the best playing Aerosmith has ever done in the studio.”

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Elton John doesn’t really wear makeup, but that didn’t stop beauty guru Charlotte Tilbury from tapping him to star in the new holiday campaign for her eponymous cosmetics brand.

“Elton’s always been a huge inspiration to me my entire life,” Tilbury tells People about including longtime friend Elton in the campaign. “He’s a musical genius, a true creative, a renaissance man and a national treasure. He’s loved by all generations.”

As part of the campaign, which is soundtracked to Elton’s classic holiday hit “Step Into Christmas,” Tilbury and her brand are donating to Elton’s AIDS Foundation Rocket Fund, which is working to raise $125 million to end the disease.

“I had so much fun stepping into beauty magic and working with Charlotte and her muses to bring this fabulous campaign to life,” Elton says in a statement. He adds, “This campaign is certainly going to bring the sparkle, joy and glamour this holiday season, all while supporting my Foundation’s life-saving work.”  

Part of the fundraising will be done through Tilbury’s new Rocket Collection of makeup, which includes a number of lipsticks and a makeup bag.

In addition to Elton, the campaign also features Kate Moss and Emmy-nominated Pose star Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, among others.

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The Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell is set to pay tribute to his late bandmate Tom Petty with a special concert later this month.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been six years since we lost our friend and leader. I miss him dearly, as I know you all do,” Campbell writes on Instagram. “I find comfort and catharsis playing songs we wrote and recorded together on stage, and I thank you all for allowing me that opportunity.” 

He then reveals that his and The Dirty Knobs‘ October 20 concert at LA’s The Bellwether will feature their music and an additional set of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers tunes. He notes that since October 20 would have been Petty’s 73rd birthday, “we want to do something special.”

Steve Ferrone, who was also a member of The Heartbreakers, is currently playing drums for The Dirty Knobs and will be behind the drum kit for the October 20 show.

“I hope you’ll join us for what will no doubt be a spiritual and celebratory evening,” Campbell adds. 

Tickets for the show are on sale now.

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Yes’ 1971 hit The Yes Album will be reissued next month as an expanded box set.

The Yes Album (Super Deluxe Edition), dropping November 24, will contain four CDs, a Blu-ray and an LP. It will feature a newly remastered version of the album on both CD and LP, expanded to include rarities, instrumentals and early takes. It will also feature new mixes, including a Dolby Atmos mix.

In addition, there will be two previously unreleased concerts from 1971, recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden, and New Haven, Connecticut, with live performances of tracks like “Yours Is No Disgrace,” “Perpetual Change,”  “Astral Traveller,” “Everydays” and more.

“The Yes Album represents to me the invention of 70’s Yes. This was aided by leaving outside material off the record and heavily investing in the influences we brought together, particularly the arrangement skills and utilizing the available best technology,” Yes guitarist Steve Howe shares. “Our adventurism shows in the originality of the music and lyrics, as none of us had done anything quite like this before.”

The Yes Album (Super Deluxe Edition) will also be released digitally and on streaming platforms. You can listen to the first track from the set, an early version of “I’ve Seen All Good People,” now via digital outlets and YouTube.

Released February 1971, The Yes Album was the third studio album from the band. It was their first to feature Howe and their last with keyboardist Tony Kaye, who later returned for 1983’s 90125. It was a huge commercial success for Yes and went Platinum by the RIAA.

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Eagles are bringing The Long Goodbye tour to the West Coast.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just announced dates for what they’re calling “The California Concerts,” happening January 5 and 6 at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Both shows feature special guests Steely Dan.

The concerts coincide with the 10-year anniversary of the band’s January 2014 shows that reopened the Forum after a $100 million renovation. 

A ticket presale kicks off Wednesday, October 11, at 10 a.m. PT, followed by a general onsale starting Friday, October 13, at 10 a.m. PT. Eagles are also offering curated travel packages that include tickets and hotel accommodations. Those go on sale starting October 13 at 10 a.m. PT.

Next up, Eagles bring The Long Goodbye tour to Denver, Colorado, on Thursday, October 5. A complete list of dates can be found at eagles.com.

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On This Day, October 4, 1970…

Legendary blues-rock singer Janis Joplin was found dead in her room at the Landmark Motor Hotel in Los Angeles. She was only 27. She passed away from a heroin overdose.

Joplin had gained fame as one of the most electrifying performers of her era, thanks to appearances at the Monterey Pop Festival as lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist at Woodstock. 

She died during the recording of her second solo album, Pearl, which was released after her death and spent nine weeks at #1. It included a cover of Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee,” which became her only #1 hit. 

Other well-known Joplin tunes include covers of “Piece of My Heart” and “Cry Baby” as well as her original tune “Mercedes Benz,” which was her final recording.

Joplin was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

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Steve Miller was the surprise guest at John Mayer’s solo show at New York’s Madison Square Garden Tuesday, October 3. 

Fan-shot video posted to YouTube shows a seated Miller and Mayer performing Miller’s classic tune “The Joker” to a very enthusiastic audience. 

Miller, who turns 80 on October 5, is currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Joker album. In September, he released the box set J50: The Evolution of The Joker, which featured not only the original album but 27 previously unreleased recordings.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will be hitting the road with the Steve Miller Band later this month, starting with a concert in Tucson, Arizona, on October 25. A complete list of dates can be found at stevemillerband.com.

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Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett just launched his Genesis Revisited: Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights tour in North America, which sees him playing Genesis’ 1972 classic album, Foxtrot, in its entirety, as well as some of his solo material.

The album is a big favorite among Genesis fans, and Hackett believes it’s because of one particular song, though he says some “call it indulgent”: the over 20-minute classic “Supper’s Ready.”

“Somebody I was talking to earlier said it was like a suite of pieces all put together and more classical music in that sense,” he tells ABC Audio. “It’s a little bit like a mini musical.”

When performing the tune, Hackett says he doesn’t get too creative although he does like to “branch away and go off” at times, which can be an issue.  

He jokes, “Sometimes that 23 minute song can end up being 25 minutes long and the band are all hoping that the guitarist, i.e. me, is going to finish his guitar solo soon so that they can all go home for supper themselves.”

In the end, Hackett says he does his best to perform authentic versions of both Genesis songs and his own solo material so fans will be able to recognize the tracks they love. He compared his approach to the Queen stage musical, We Will Rock You.

He explains, “We know on stage it’s not the same people, but the power of the music and the fact that it’s authentically done, that’s important.” 

Hackett’s Genesis Revisited: Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights tour hits Toronto, Canada, on October 5, with the first U.S. show happening October 6 in Ithaca, New York. A complete list of dates can be found at hackettsongs.com.

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Bret Michaels recently had a cancer scare, but it didn’t keep him from rocking. In an Instagram post, the Poison frontman showed off a scar on his hip from a biopsy he had done Friday.

“Just knowing that I absolutely love the outdoors & the sun but with the recent passing of my friend Jimmy Buffett, I decided it was time for a more recent check up of something I thought was nothing,” he writes. “Turns out, it was something.” Buffett passed away September 1 after a four-year battle with Merkel cell skin cancer.

Michaels says his own procedure “not only may have saved my life but surely extended it,” adding he’s “not completely out of the woods yet.” 

He concludes the post by encouraging his followers, especially those who love the outdoors, to get themselves checked out. “You are never out of the fight until the fight is out of you…Remain unbroken, my friends!” he notes.

Michael’s procedure hasn’t slowed him down. Not long after the biopsy, he took the stage in Houston, Texas. His next show is happening October 13 in Corbin, Kentucky. A complete list of dates can be found at bretmichaels.com.

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Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters is set to promote the release of his upcoming album, The Dark Side of the Moon Redux, with live shows at The London Palladium October 8 and 9, and he’s giving fans a preview of what to expect. 

The rocker has shared some clips from rehearsals on Instagram, including footage of him performing “Us and Them” and “Money.” There’s also a clip of Waters giving his band some direction, and he appears to be pleased.

“Sounds great,” he says. “You guys have done a lot of proper homework.”

The Dark Side of the Moon Redux is Waters’ reimagining of Pink Floyd’s classic 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon. It drops October 6 and is available for preorder now. Anyone who presaves the release on Spotify or Apple Music will be entered into a sweepstakes to win a signed test pressing of the album.

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