Classic Rock News

U2 singer Bono and guitarist The Edge paid a surprise visit on Sunday to a subway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, that’s currently serving as a bomb shelter, where the duo performed a short set that included some of their best-known songs, RTE.ie reports.

In a message posted Sunday on U2’s Twitter feed, Bono and The Edge wrote, “President [Zelenskyy] invited us to perform in Kyiv as a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people and so that’s what we’ve come to do.”

According to RTE.ie and various posts on social media, the songs that the two Rock & Roll Hall of Famers performed included “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” “Desire,” “With or Without You,” “Vertigo,” “Angel of Harlem,” “One,” and “Pride (In the Name of Love).”

Rolling Stone reports that Bono and The Edge also were joined by members of the Ukrainian band Antytila, who are now serving in the Ukrainian military, to perform a version of the Ben E. King classic “Stand by Me.”

Bono changed select lyrics in some of the songs to reference Ukraine, and Russia’s ongoing military invasion of the country.

The singer also addressed the crowd on hand for the performance, telling them, “The people in Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you are fighting for all of us who love freedom. We pray that you will enjoy some of that peace soon.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On Friday, Graham Nash released his new concert album, Live — Songs for Beginners/Wild Tales, which features the folk-rock legend performing his first two solo albums in their entirety, culled from four special shows that took place in September 2019.

“I’d always loved those two albums…and I always wanted to do them live, but I never did,” Nash tells ABC Audio about 1971’s Songs for Beginners and 1974’s Wild Tales. “And then my wife, Amy, one day said, ‘You know, I’d like to see that show. You better put it together.’ And so I did.”

To help organize the shows, which were held at four different venues in the northeastern U.S., Graham enlisted his two main touring musicians — guitarist Shane Fontayne and keyboardist Todd Caldwell — who put together a larger group to present the albums live.

“It was a band that I’d never played with…and they did remarkably well,” Nash points out. “Of course, Shane and Todd gave them the albums and said, ‘This is what we want to do…just learn your parts.’ And…they did. And…I only rehearsed with them probably for about three-and-a-half days.”

The group also included Caldwell’s brother Toby on drums, Thad DeBrock on pedal-steel guitar, one-time Black Crowes bassist Andy Hess and two female backup singers.

To create the live album, Nash says he listened to all four concerts and “chose the best versions of each song.”

Reflecting on the album’s quality, Graham says, “[T]hese tracks sound really good to me. Everyone’s singing good, everyone’s in tune, everyone’s playing well…I’m very proud of this record.”

Live — Songs for Beginners/Wild Tales is available now on CD, as a two-LP vinyl set and digitally.

Here’s the full track list:

Songs for Beginners
“Military Madness”
“Better Days”
“Wounded Bird”
“I Used to Be a King”
“Be Yourself”
“Simple Man”
“Man in the Mirror”
“There’s Only One”
“Sleep Song”
“Chicago”/”We Can Change the World”

Wild Tales
“Wild Tales”
“Hey You (Looking at the Moon)”
“Prison Song”
“You’ll Never Be the Same”
“And So It Goes”
“Grave Concern”
“Oh! Camil”
“I Miss You”
“On the Line”
“Another Sleep Song”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Longtime Eagles bassist Timothy B. Schmit‘s latest solo studio album, Day by Day, was released today.

The 12-track collection features guest contributions from an impressive lineup of musicians, including Jackson Browne, Lindsey Buckingham, John Fogerty, longtime Tom Petty keyboardist Benmont Tench, Doobie Brothers multi-instrumentalist John McFee, blues-rocker Kenny Wayne Shepherd and acclaimed session drummer Jim Keltner.

Coinciding with the album’s arrival, a music video for the project’s third single, “I Come Alive,” has debuted at Schmit’s YouTube channel. The clip features Timothy performing the upbeat, ska-flavored tune at a Los Angles rehearsal studio with most of his touring band and a trio of background singers.

“I was feeling really good about things in general when I started this song,” Schmit explains. “I decided it wasn’t necessary to try and go particularly deep, so I let it sort of roll out of me without too much second guessing. It’s a simple love song intended to express my feelings right from the surface.”

“I Come Alive” is preceded by the advance singles “Simple Man” and “Heartbeat.” Buckingham contributed electric guitar to “Simple Man,” which also features backing vocals from ex-Beach Boys touring members Chris Farmer and Matt Jardine, the latter being the son of founding Beach Boy Al Jardine.

Day by Day also includes a song titled “Grinding Stone” that features Schmit harmonizing with Browne and Fogerty. In addition, Timothy’s daughter Jeddrah sings backing vocals on the album.

Day by Day is Schmit’s seventh solo album overall, and his first since 2016’s Leap of Faith. It was recorded at his home studio in Los Angeles County during breaks on the Eagles’ tour schedule.

The album is available on CD, as a two-LP set and digitally.

Here’s the full Day by Day track list:

“Simple Man”
“The Next Rainbow”
“Heartbeat”
“Mr. X”
“Question of the Heart”
“Something You Should Know”
“I Come Alive”
“Feather in the Wind”
“Grinding Stone”
“Taste Like Candy”
“Conflicted”
“Where We Belong”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Whitesnake has just released a new best-of compilation titled Whitesnake Greatest Hits, featuring remixed and remastered versions of 16 classic tracks by the band, via digital formats.

The album also will be issued on CD and as a two-LP vinyl set on June 17, while a CD/Blu-ray collection will follow on July 15.

The compilation includes updated mixes of such memorable Whitesnake songs as “Here I Go Again,” “Is This Love,” “Still of the Night,” “The Deeper the Love and “Fool for Your Love.”

Frontman David Coverdale who oversaw the project, notes, “We’ve definitely expanded on the original Greatest Hits, took them all out of the sonic time capsule of the ’80s and ’90s, and brought them up to date, sound-wise…as always, we have the original albums for those who consider them holy relics.”

Former Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian, who also contributed his talents to Whitesnake’s recent Red, White and Blues trilogy, played Hammond organ on over half the songs on the collection, among them “Here I Go Again” and “Fool for Your Loving.”

In addition, the updated mixes of the songs “The Deeper the Love” and “Judgement Day” include new performances from ex-Whitesnake guitarist Adrian Vandenberg.

Coverdale also unearthed archival performances by former Whitesnake guitarist John Sykes that were included on mixes of “Slide It In” and “Give Me All Your Love.”

The new Whitesnake Greatest Hits album’s arrival coincides with the launch of the band’s farewell tour, which kicks off with European leg that begins May 10 in Dublin. Check out all of the dates at Whitesnake.com.

Here’s the full track list of Whitesnake Greatest Hits:

“Still of the Night”
“Here I Go Again”
“Is This Love”
“Give Me All Your Love”
“Love Ain’t No Stranger”
“Slide It In”
“Slow an’ Easy”
“Guilty of Love”
“Fool for Your Loving”
“Judgment Day”
“The Deeper the Love”
“Now You’re Gone”
“You’re Gonna Break My Heart Again”
“Sweet Lady Luck”
“Crying in the Rain”
“Forevermore”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The 2022 KISS Kruise just got even bigger.

The 11th edition of the “Rock and Roll All Nite” icons’ annual seafaring event has added a second week, set to take place October 24-29. That will lead into the originally announced — and now sold-out — dates of October 29 to November 3, which will mark KISS’ “final onboard performances.”

Pre-sale tickets for the newly added dates are available now. If you’re a particularly dedicated KISS fan who purchases tickets for both weeks, you’ll be rewarded with “an exclusive laminate, an exclusive signed item by KISS, happy hour with the band, and a specialty two-timer t-shirt.”

For all KISS Kruise info, visit TheKISSKruise.com.

Meanwhile, KISS is currently touring South America as part of the group’s ongoing End of the Road farewell tour. The trek will return to the U.S. starting May 11 in Milwaukee.

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Columbia Records is celebrating Bob Dylan‘s 60th anniversary as a recording artist for the label by releasing a new music video for his classic 1965 song “Subterranean Homesick Blues.”  The video’s inspired by the tune’s original promo film, which featured Dylan flipping through handwritten cue cards with select lyrics from the song.

The new visual, dubbed “Subterranean Homesick Blues 2022,” offers a dynamic video collage of segments inspired by the original lyrical cue cards, each designed by a different artist, musician or filmmaker. Among the celebs who contributed to the clip are Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Primal Scream‘s Bobby Gillespie, and filmmakers Jim Jarmusch and Wim Wenders.

You can watch the “Subterranean Homesick Blues 2022” video at the newly launched Dylan60.com microsite, which features details about each cue card that appears in the clip, as well as the original flick. The “Subterranean Homesick Blues” promo film first appeared at the beginning of director D.A. Pennebaker‘s 1967 documentary Don’t Look Back, which focused on Dylan’s 1965 U.K. tour. It included a cameo by legendary Beat poet Allen Ginsberg.

You also will have a chance to watch the new video with a special Augmented Reality lens filter that can be accessed on Instagram and Snapchat, and that allows viewers use a virtual pair of Dylan’s Ray-Ban sunglasses to watch a select 10-second segment of the “Subterranean Homesick Blues 2022” clip.

In other news, the Bob Dylan Center, which will serve as the home of over 100,000 pieces of Dylan-related memorabilia, is scheduled to open his Tuesday, May 10, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A series of special events celebrating the grand opening are taking place in Tulsa in the coming days, including concerts by Patti Smith and Elvis Costello at Cain’s Ballroom tonight and on May 7, respectively.

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The 1995 Eric Clapton documentary Nothing but the Blues, which was broadcast just once, on PBS, will get its official release on multiple formats and configurations, along with a companion soundtrack album, on June 24.

The film features Clapton showcasing and discussing his lifelong passion for the blues, and includes performances from two concerts that he played in November 1994, at San Francisco’s famed Fillmore during his tour in support of his 1994 blues covers album, From the Cradle.

Nothing but the Blues, which can be pre-ordered now, will be available as a Super Deluxe limited-edition box set, and as a standalone DVD or Blu-ray, while the soundtrack will be issued on CD, digitally and as a two-LP vinyl set. The vinyl collection will be released on July 29.

The movie was executive-produced by Martin Scorsese, who also conducted an in-depth interview with Clapton for the film, in which the guitar legend talks about his love for blues music and the artists who influenced him.

The film has been upgraded to 4K video, while the audio has been newly remastered.

The box set features a Blu-ray of the documentary, the soundtrack on CD and as a two-LP set, and a bonus CD featuring four extra tracks — “Driftin’,” County Jail Blues,” “Kid Man Blues,” and “It’s Too Bad.” The collection also with an exclusive hardcover book, and includes a lithograph, a poster, a set of Clapton guitar strings, guitar picks, and a bandana.

If you pre-order Nothing but the Blues, you’ll instantly receive a download of an unreleased Clapton performance of Freddie King’s “Have You Ever Loved a Woman.” You also can watch a video of the performance at Clapton’s YouTube channel.

Here’s the DVD and Blu-ray track list:

“Blues All Day Long”
“Standin’ Round Crying”
“Forty-Four”
“It Hurts Me Too”
“Early in the Morning”
“Five Long Years”
“Crossroads”
“Malted Milk Blues”
“Motherless Child”
“How Long Blues”
“Reconsider Baby”
“Sinner’s Prayer”
“Every Day I Have the Blues”
“Crosscut Saw”
“Someday After a While”
“Have You Ever Loved a Woman”
“I’m Tore Down”
“Groaning the Blues”
“T’Ain’t Nobody’s Bizness”
“Driftin” (Bonus Track)

And here’s the soundtrack’s track list:

“Blues All Day Long”
“Standing ‘Round Crying”
“Forty-Four”
“It Hurts Me Too”
“Early in the Morning”
“Five Long Years”
“Crossroads”
“Malted Milk”
“Motherless Child”
“How Long”
“Reconsider Baby”
“Sinners Prayer”
“Every Day I Have the Blues”
“Someday After a While (You’ll Be Sorry)”
“Have You Ever Loved a Woman”
“I’m Tore Down”
“Groaning Blues”
“County Jail Blues”*

* = exclusive to two-LP vinyl version.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Rolling Stones have debuted two previously unheard live performances that will appear on the upcoming archival concert album Live at the El Mocambo, which will be released next Friday, May 13.

Renditions of The Stones’ 1972 hit “Tumbling Dice” and their funky 1976 gem “Hot Stuff” are available now as digital downloads and via streaming services, and you also can check out visualizer videos for the tunes at the band’s official YouTube channel.

As previously reported, Live at the El Mocambo features performances from two shows that the British rock legends played at the 300-capacity Toronto club on March 4 and 5, 1977.

The album, which will be available as a two-CD set, a four-LP collection on either black or neon vinyl, and digitally, features The Stones’ full March 5 concert plus three bonus performances from the previous night.

The concerts were booked as secret shows, where attendees were winners of a ticket giveaway, and The Stones were billed under the moniker The Cockroaches.

The Stones’ set list included a variety of covers, hits and deep cuts. One of the tunes the band played, “Worried About You,” would be released on 1981’s Tattoo You.

Only four songs from the El Mocambo concerts have been officially released previously, appearing on 1977’s Love You Live album alongside many tracks that were captured during The Stones’ 1975 and ’76 tours.

Prior to the release of the “Tumbling Dice” and “Hot Stuff” performances, The Stones premiered two other tracks from the live album — “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Rip This Joint.”

Live at the El Mocambo can be pre-ordered now.

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In a new installment of Audible’s Words + Music audio series titled Pete Townshend: Somebody Saved Me, The Who‘s Pete Townshend treats listeners to a candid look at his life and music during the period spanning roughly from the 1978 death of Keith Moon to John Entwistle‘s passing in 2002.

The free two-hour presentation, which debuted today at Audible.com, also features new versions of noteworthy Townshend solo songs and Who tunes that Pete recorded especially for the episode.

Townshend tells ABC Audio that he initially turned down what he admits was a lucrative offer to do the Words + Music installment, but after he was informed that the teenage cancer charities he helps support were in need of funds, he changed his mind.

“I’m so glad [I did], because I had such a blast,” Pete says. “You know, it was a tricky period [to revisit], but I loved doing it.”

A main focus of the episode was the early 1980s, a prolific period for Townshend when he released the solo albums Empty Glass and All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes, and The Who issued the Face Dances and It’s Hard albums.

The songs Townshend rerecorded for the Words + Music episode all came from those albums, and Pete tells ABC Audio that creating the new versions “was the fun bit for me,” because he loves working in his home studio.

One of the many anecdotes Pete shares in the presentation is how he came up with idea for his solo hit “Let My Love Open the Door” in the middle of a dinner party at his home, and then proceeded to keep his family and guests awake as he worked all night on the tune.

“I knew I had a hit,” Townshend says in justification.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Paul McCartney recently launched his Got Back tour of the U.S., and in the latest installment of his “You Gave Me the Answer” Q&A feature, he fields questions about the challenge of choosing songs for his live sets.

So far, McCartney’s shows have included one song from his latest studio album, 2020’s McCartney III — “Women and Wives” — but one fan asks Sir Paul if he’ll consider playing another track from that record, “Find My Way.”

“[T]here’s always the eternal dilemma of what do you take out, knowing the audiences really want to hear the hits so you’ve got to balance it very carefully,” McCartney responds. “You’re taking out something they know very well and putting in something they don’t necessarily know, and I’m always dreading that’s the signal for them to go get a beer.”

The 79-year-old rock legend then admits, “I’d like to do a whole show of new songs but that’s for…the deep fans. Most of the people who come and see me, who have paid good money, have brought their mums and dads, who have traveled a distance…I’m not so sure they wanna hear the deep cuts.”

McCartney maintains that general audiences wants to hear “Beatles stuff mainly, Wings stuff, and maybe some of the new stuff.”

As for whether it was tricky preparing “Women and Wives,” which he recorded completely solo, to play live with his full band, Paul notes that it was “pretty simple because it’s a very simple song.”

He explains that “[i]n rehearsal we just listen to the record, and we’re all such reasonable musicians that we kinda go ‘Okay, I know what I’ll do.'”

McCartney’s next concert takes place Friday, May 6, in Oakland, California. Check out his full schedule at PaulMcCartney.com.

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