Classic Rock News

An in-depth documentary about the life of rock-guitar legend Carlos Santana is currently in the works and is being directed by Emmy-winning Mexican American filmmaker Rudy Valdez.

The as-yet-untitled film will examine Santana’s life and musical journey from a teenage street musician to leading a world famous and Grammy-winning rock band. The movie will feature previously unseen archival film footage and and unheard songs.

The film is being produced by Imagine Documentaries in collaboration with Sony Music Entertainment. Imagine co-founders Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are executive producing the project.

“I am honored and grateful to have partnered with Imagine Documentaries and Sony Music to bring my story to light,” Santana says, noting that his story “is one of triumph and adventurousness.”

He adds, “The intentionality of this film is to touch people’s hearts and to inspire people to reconnect with their own light that they may ignite blessings and miracles.”

Meanwhile, Imagine executive Justin Wilkes says, “We’re thrilled that Carlos has entrusted us with bringing his incredibly inspirational story to life in this film. He is one of the greatest musicians of all time, and throughout his career, Santana has unapologetically broken down borders and reinvented a tone universally celebrated across the globe.”

In other news, the 10th anniversary of the start of Santana’s first Las Vegas residency show at the House of Blues was celebrated on Wednesday with a ceremony at the venue.

At the event, the 74-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was presented with the Las Vegas Icon Award by county commissioner Justin Jones. Santana’s manager, Michael Vrionis, announced that Santana had signed a multiyear extension to his House of Blues residency.

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Def Leppard has released a new advance single from their forthcoming studio album, Diamond Star Halos, a rocking, stadium-ready, riff-laden tune called “Fire It Up.”

The track is available now via digital platforms, and you also can check a visualizer video for the song at Def Leppard’s official YouTube channel.

Thursday, May 26, at 9 a.m. ET, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will premiere a music video for “Fire It Up” on YouTube. Following the clip’s debut, Def Leppard will take part in an exclusive afterparty, where the band members will discuss the new album.

For more information on how to join the afterparty, visit YouTube.

As previously reported, Diamond Star Halos will be released on Friday, May 27. The 15-track collection is the band’s first album of new, original tunes since 2015’s self-titled effort. It can be preordered now and will be available as a deluxe package, a two-LP set and digitally, among other configurations.

Diamond Star Halos includes two duets with acclaimed country/bluegrass artist and longtime Def Leppard fan Alison Krauss — “This Guitar” and “Lifeless.” In addition, famed David Bowie pianist Mike Garson plays on two songs — “Goodbye for Good This Time” and “Angels (Can’t Help You Now).”

Def Leppard debuted two other advance tracks from the album prior to “Fire It Up” — “Kick” and “Take What You Want” — and also released a music video for “Kick.”

Diamond Star Halos arrives a few weeks before Def Leppard’s expansive 36-city Stadium Tour of North America with Mötley Crüe, Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. The trek gets underway June 16 in Atlanta and is mapped out through a September 9 concert in Las Vegas.

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Dio‘s Holy Diver is being reissued in honor of what would’ve been the late Ronnie James Dio‘s 80th birthday.

The set will arrive on July 8, two days before Dio would’ve hit the big 8-0 on July 10. It will come in two editions: the first features a new mix of the original record by engineer and producer Joe Barresi, who’s previously worked with the bands Tool, Queens of the Stone Age and Slipknot; the second, dubbed the “Super Deluxe” edition, consists of the Barresi mix and a remastered version of the original Holy Diver mix, plus various bonus tracks, including live recordings, outtakes and rarities.

For a preview, you can check out the Barresi mix of the Holy Diver title track now via digital outlets.

Holy Diver, Dio’s debut album with his namesake band, was released in 1983 after he left Black Sabbath a year earlier. In addition to spawning the classic title track, the double-Platinum Holy Diver features one of the most metal album covers of all time.

Dio passed away in May 2010 from stomach cancer. He was 67.

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Vince Neil guests on a new song from Classless Act, an up-and-coming rock band set to open for the Mötley Crüe‘s reunion tour this summer.

The track, also titled “Classless Act,” finds Neil joining the group’s vocalist, Derek Day, in declaring, “Sit back, relax, and witness the class of the classless act awry.”

“What drew me is that these are young guys playing real rock ‘n’ roll, playing their own instruments, all that good stuff that you miss from the last 20+ years,” Neil says. “These guys remind me of Mötley Crüe growing up and they definitely rock. Can’t wait to see what happens in the future.”

You can listen to “Classless Act” now via digital outlets and watch its accompanying video streaming now on YouTube.

The track will also appear on the debut Classless Act album, Welcome to the Show, which arrives June 24. The record also includes a collaboration with Justin Hawkins of The Darkness.

The Mötley Crüe tour, which was originally scheduled for 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is finally set to kick off in June. Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts will also be on the bill.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.) 

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As they gear up for a joint summer tour with Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson, Chicago has released its first new song in over eight years, a bouncy pop gem titled “If This Is Goodbye.”

The track is available now as a digital download and via streaming services, while a lyric video has debuted at Chicago’s official YouTube channel.

The song mixes the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ classic soulful, horn-driven sound with some electronic beats, with lyrics that seem to celebrate a long relationship that may be coming to an end.

“If this is goodbye, let’s take one more shot for the memories/ Life’s too short to be enemies,” the band sings in the chorus. “If this ends tonight, you can save your tears for the other guy/ I’ll see you in another life.”

Chicago has been playing “If This Is Goodbye” at its recent concerts.

The band’s joint tour with Wilson and his solo group kicks off on June 7 in Phoenix, although Chicago first has three headlining dates scheduled for May 20 in Greensboro, North Carolina; May 21 in Montgomery, Alabama; and May 22 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Check out the group’s full schedule at ChicagotheBand.com.

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Aimee Osbourne, daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, is safe after exiting a Los Angeles recording studio that caught fire Thursday.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the blaze occurred at 5:42 p.m. local time at a two-story commercial building with “an abundance of small individual recording studios inside.” The statement reports that two people were “found with smoke-related respiratory symptoms,” while one person was tragically killed.

In an Instagram post early Friday morning, Sharon confirmed that Aimee and her producer were in the building when the fire began.

“They are the lucky two that made it out alive,” Sharon writes. “It is utterly heartbreaking that someone lost their life today in this fire & we are sending our prayers to this person & their family.”

Sharon adds that “what happened…was beyond horrific,” and that she hopes that the tragedy will put a bigger focus on fire safety for similar buildings.

“This building was a creative hub for music in Hollywood, a space that should have been regulated for fire code,” Sharon writes. “Producers, musicians, mixers & artists also lost all of their equipment. Once again, our prayers go out to the family and friends of the person that lost their life to this senseless fire.”

Aimee releases music under the band name ARO. The group’s debut album, Vacare Adamaré, dropped in 2020.

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The Foo Fighters album The Colour and the Shape is now 25.

Released May 20, 1997, The Colour and the Shape arrived two years after Dave Grohl dropped the debut, self-titled Foo Fighters record in 1995. While technically the sophomore Foo Fighters effort, The Colour and the Shape marked their studio debut as a full band.

Grohl, who played drums in Nirvana, initially founded Foo Fighters as a solo project following the death of Kurt Cobain and recorded that first Foos album almost entirely by himself. When it came time for a Foo Fighters tour, Grohl put together a live band featuring bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith of Sunny Day Real Estate, as well as touring Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear.

That lineup then went into the studio to record The Colour and the Shape, though it didn’t come out the same way. As the story goes, Grohl was not satisfied with Goldsmith’s drum tracks and decided to rerecord them himself. Upon learning this, Goldsmith left the band.

Beyond the personnel issues, recording The Colour and the Shape was a difficult — and unexpectedly expensive — process for Grohl and company. Still, the Foos powered through and delivered what’s considered to be among their best albums, thanks in part to now-classic songs including “Everlong,” “My Hero” and “Monkey Wrench.” Additionally, Goldsmith’s departure led to drummer Taylor Hawkins joining the band shortly after the album was recorded.

Speaking with ABC Audio earlier this year, Grohl shared that the Foos didn’t have any plans to mark The Colour and the Shape‘s milestone anniversary. Any plans that they may have had, however, are now undoubtedly canceled, given the unexpected death of Hawkins last March. Following the news of Hawkins’ passing, Foo Fighters canceled all of their tour dates.

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A “restored and expanded” version of The Police‘s 1982 documentary The Police: Around the World got its release today.

The film is now available on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time ever, with the new discs boasting restored video and remastered audio, plus bonus performances of four full songs.

In addition, the new release, titled The Police: Around The World Restored & Expanded, comes packaged with a newly created soundtrack album either on CD or as a colored-vinyl LP that includes performances recorded at shows in Japan, Hong Kong and the U.K. during the same world tour documented in the movie.

The film captures The Police on stage and off while touring in 1979 and 1980 in Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, India, Egypt, Greece, France, South America and the U.S.

“Well, the cool thing about this film is [it captures the band] at its hungriest, and also when the synergy was strongest,” drummer Stewart Copeland tells ABC Audio. “And combine that with the exotic locations — very colorful, very picturesque — and it’s a fun ride. Three guys having a lot of fun in strange places.”

Copeland says his favorite part of the tour was a visit to Cairo, Egypt, during which — as seen in the film — he and band mates Sting and Andy Summers hired horses and rode all around the Great Pyramids of Giza.

“That was a fun day,” Stewart recalls.

Meanwhile, Copeland notes about The Police’s performances in the movie and on the album, “We were hot as firecrackers at the time,” adding that “the excitement of that tour gave us some extra juice.”

The Police: Around the World Restored & Expanded is available as a DVD/CD set, a Blu-ray/CD package and a DVD/LP collection.

The DVD & Blu-ray feature performances of:

“Next to You”
“Walking on the Moon”
“Born in the 50’s”
“So Lonely”
“Man in a Suitcase”
“Can’t Stand Losing You”
“Bring On the Night”
“Canary in a Coalmine”
“Voices Inside My Head”
“When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around”
“Shadows in the Rain”
“Don’t Stand So Close to Me”
“Truth Hits Everybody”
“Roxanne”

Bonus features — complete live performances of:
“Walking on the Moon” (Live from Kyoto)
“Next to You” (Live from Kyoto)
“Message in a Bottle” (Live from Hong Kong)
“Born in the 50’s” (Live from Hong Kong)

Here’s the soundtrack album’s track list:
“Walking on the Moon” (Live from Kyoto)
“Next to You” (Live from Kyoto)*
“Deathwish” (Live from Kyoto)
“So Lonely” (Live from Kyoto)
“Can’t Stand Losing You” (Live from Kyoto)
“Truth Hits Everybody” (Live from Kyoto)
“Visions of the Night” (Live from Hammersmith)*
“Roxanne” (Live from Hammersmith)
Intro*
“Born in the 50’s” (Live from Hong Kong)
“Message in a Bottle” (Live from Hong Kong)
“Bring On the Night” (Live from Hong Kong)

* = not included on vinyl LP.

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After postponing the first two dates of his new run of European concerts this week because he recently contracted the COVID-19 virus, Eric Clapton has now postponed two more shows — a pair of performances that had been scheduled in Bologna, Italy, this Friday and Saturday, May 20 and 21.

A message posted on the official Where’s Eric website explains, “Clapton, whilst feeling fine in himself, has again tested positive for Covid this morning. Whilst there is a strong body of medical opinion that after several days since the first positive test, a person is no longer infectious, it is by no means agreed by all. Accordingly, Eric does not want to travel while still testing positive and take the risk of infecting others.”

The note adds that, under the circumstances, it’s possible that “the Italian authorities would not…permit [Eric’s] entry into Italy.”

All four postponed concerts, which also include shows originally scheduled for May 17 in Zurich, Switzerland, and May 18 in Milan, Italy, will be rescheduled by the end of 2022. The new dates will be announced within the next two weeks, and tickets purchased for the postponed concerts will be valid for the rescheduled dates.

Clapton’s next scheduled show is now a May 29 performance in Berlin. According to the message on the Where’s Eric site, “by [that] time we have every hope that there will be no obstacle to Eric being able to perform that concert and the remainder of the scheduled concerts.”

Visit EricClapton.com to check out Clapton’s full tour schedule.

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Last Monday, May 16, R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills was presented with an honorary doctor of humanities degree at Mercer University in his childhood hometown of Macon, Georgia, during the school’s commencement ceremony.

Prior to receiving the degree, the 63-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer played a version of his band’s classic song “Losing My Religion,” and a video of the performance has been posted on the university’s official YouTube channel.

Mills co-founded R.E.M. while attending the University of Georgia in Athens, although he never graduated college.

Before performing at the commencement, Mike addressed Mercer’s graduating students, saying, “I am truly and deeply humbled to be standing here today … You’re about to accomplish something I never did, which is to graduate from college. So as you continue your journey, I wish you good luck and Godspeed.”

Mills plays an electric guitar while singing the song, and he was accompanied by his friend, acclaimed violinist Robert McDuffie, who founded Mercer University’s Robert McDuffie Center for Strings in the Townsend School of Music.

In presenting Mills with the honorary degree, the university’s president, William D. Underwood, said, “[T]his region has a great history of producing great musical geniuses, from Little Richard to Otis Redding to the Allman Brothers Band to Chuck Leavell and Robert McDuffie. As great as these musical geniuses have been, none of them had more impact with the genius of their work than Mike Mills.”

Mills was born in Orange County, California, and his family moved to Macon while he was still a baby. In high school, he met drummer Bill Berry, and the two began playing music together, eventually forming R.E.M. with singer Michael Stipe and guitarist Peter Buck in 1980. R.E.M. disbanded in 2011.

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