Classic Rock News

A new Thin Lizzy-themed audio/video collection pairing the 2020 documentary Phil Lynott: Songs for While I’m Away with the archival concert film and album Thin Lizzy: The Boys Are Back in Town Live at the Sydney Opera House October 1978 will be released on June 24.

The release, which will be available either as a two-DVD/CD set or a Blu-ray/DVD/CD set, can be pre-ordered now.

Songs for While I’m Away presents a candid look at the life and music of late Thin Lizzy lead singer and bassist Phil Lynott. It tells the story of how a Black boy raised during the 1950s by a working-class family in Dublin went on to become one Ireland’s biggest rock stars, before he died in 1986 of drug-related health issues at the age of 36.

The movie features archival footage of and conversations with Lynott, as well as recent interviews with Thin Lizzy members and/or alums Scott Gorham, Eric Bell, Darren Wharton and Midge Ure, and with other notable music artists like U2‘s Adam Clayton, Metallica‘s James Hetfield, Huey Lewis and Suzi Quatro.

The film also includes conversations with Phil’s wife, Caroline Taraskevics, and his daughters Sarah and Catherine Lynott.

Thin Lizzy: The Boys Are Back in Town Live at the Sydney Opera House October 1978, which originally was released in 1988, captures a short-lived lineup of the band featuring Lynott, guitarists Gorham and Gary Moore, and drummer Mark Nauseef performing many of the group’s classic songs at the famed Australian venue.  The footage has been restored for the new DVD release, while a companion CD of the show also is included in the package.

Here’s the The Boys Are Back in Town Live at the Sydney Opera House‘s CD track list:

“Jailbreak”
“Bad Reputation”
“Warriors”
“Don’t Believe a Word”
“Waiting for an Alibi”
“Still In Love with You”
“Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed”
“Cowboy Song”
“The Boys Are Back in Town”
“Suicide”
“Are You Ready”
“Baby Drives Me Crazy”
“Me and the Boys “

And here’s the track list for concert DVD:

“Jailbreak”
“Bad Reputation”
“Waiting for an Alibi”
“Cowboy Song”
“The Boys Are Back in Town”
“Are You Ready”
“Me and the Boys “
“Baby Drives Me Crazy”

Lost Sydney Performances
“Warriors”
“Don’t Believe a Word”
“Still In Love with You”
“Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed”
“Suicide”

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Sharon Osbourne is getting assistance from an IV amid her bout with COVID-19.

On Wednesday, the wife of Ozzy Osbourne shared a photo of her hooked up to an IV drip while sitting up in bed next to two dogs and giving the peace sign. In the caption, she simply wrote the word “Covid” bookended by two profanity emojis.

As previously reported, Sharon, 69, tested positive for COVID-19 after returning home to care for her husband, 73, when he was diagnosed with the virus last week. In an interview with the U.K.’s The Talk this past Monday, Sharon said that she felt “OK,” while adding that Ozzy was “doing much better.”

Sharon previously caught COVID-19 in December 2020, and was briefly hospitalized.

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Slash has premiered the video for “April Fool,” a track off 4, his new album with Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators.

The clip captures footage of the song’s live debut during Slash and company’s concert at Nashville’s historic Grand Ole Opry House this past March. You can watch it now streaming on YouTube.

4, the aptly titled fourth Conspirators album, was released in February. It also includes the single “The River Is Rising.”

While the Conspirators don’t have any more tour dates currently announced, Slash is set to return to the road in Guns N’ Roses, beginning with a headlining set at Florida’s Welcome to Rockville later this month. GN’R will the launch a European tour in June, followed by a trip to South America in September. 

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Dolly Parton may not consider herself a rock ‘n’ roll great, but now that she’s a 2022 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she says she’ll just have to live up to the title.

The singer says she still isn’t sure if she’ll be able to attend the November induction ceremony, “but if I do, I’m going to sing the hardest style rock ‘n’ roll song I could ever muster up just to show that I can do it,” she tells Billboard.

Dolly’s inclusion in the Hall’s class wasn’t without challenge. She initially declined her nomination, saying that — as someone who’s primarily worked in the country genre — she didn’t feel she’d earned it. But the Hall disagreed, leading Dolly to amend her statement, saying she’d misunderstood the criteria for inclusion.

The superstar says her husband is the “rock freak” of the house, but she’s still a fan of the genre. “I love The Rolling Stones. I always wanted to do the song ‘Satisfaction,'” she continues, hinting that any Hall of Fame induction ceremony performance she’d give just might have to feature Stones frontman Mick Jagger.

“I may have to drag Mick’s guys up there to help me sing it,” says Dolly. “I may do a version of something like [Lynyrd Skynyrd‘s ] ‘Free Bird’ and do my own versions of some classic things that I think would make good rock ‘n’ roll songs.”

Dolly adds that she’s always wanted to make a rock ‘n’ roll album, and her induction might be the push she needs to make it happen. “Now I may have to call my album Rock Star!” she says.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Gala is set for November 5 in Los Angeles.

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Queen‘s triple compilation The Platinum Collection, which gathers together all three volumes of the band’s official Greatest Hits albums, will be released on vinyl for the first time on June 17.

The six-LP collection will feature Greatest Hits, Greatest Hits II and Greatest Hits III as half-speed-mastered two-disc sets, with each LP pressed on a different-colored 180-gram vinyl disc and housed in an individually designed sleeve. The package will offer new artwork and will include an exclusive 24-page photo book.

First released in the U.S. in 2002 as a three-CD set, The Platinum Collection has been certified five-times Platinum by the RIAA.

Here’s a look at the individual compilations included in the retrospective:

— Greatest Hits got its initial release in 1981, and features classic Queen songs spanning from 1974 to 1980. The album has been RIAA-certified nine-times Platinum in the U.S. and is the best-selling album ever in the U.K.

— Greatest Hits II was first released in 1991 and has sold 19 million copies worldwide. It arrived shorty before the death of Queen singer Freddie Mercury and boasts highlights of the band’s catalog from 1981 to 1991.

— Greatest Hits III was originally released in 1999, and features songs from Queen’s Made in Heaven album issued after Mercury death, solo tunes by Freddie and guitarist Brian May, rarities, the group’s collaborations with other artists, and more.

You can pre-order the vinyl version of The Platinum Collection now.

In related news, a companion book titled Queen — The Platinum Collection: Complete Scores Collector’s Edition, a hardcover volume featuring full-band transcriptions for almost 50 classic songs by the British rock legends, is available for pre-order now at HalLeonard.com.

Here’s the full track list of The Platinum Collection vinyl edition:

Greatest Hits

LP 1 — Side A
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“Another One Bites the Dust”
“Killer Queen”
“Fat Bottomed Girls”

LP 1 — Side B
“Bicycle Race”
“You’re My Best Friend”
“Don’t Stop Me Now”
“Save Me”

LP 2 — Side A
“Crazy Little Thing Called Love”
“Somebody to Love”
“Now I’m Here”
“Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy”

LP 2 — Side B
“Play the Game”
“Flash”
“Seven Seas Of Rhye”
“We Will Rock You”
“We Are the Champions”

Greatest Hits II

LP 3 — Side A
“A Kind of Magic”
“Under Pressure” — Queen + David Bowie
“Radio Ga Ga”
“I Want It All”
“I Want to Break Free”

LP 3 — Side B
“Innuendo”
“It’s a Hard Life”
“Breakthru”
“Who Wants to Live Forever”

LP 4 — Side A
“Headlong”
“The Miracle”
“I’m Going Slightly Mad”
“The Invisible Man”

LP 4 — Side B
“Hammer to Fall”
“Friends Will Be Friends”
“The Show Must Go On”
“One Vision”

Greatest Hits III

LP 5 — Side A
Queen + Elton John — “The Show Must Go On” (Live, Theatre National de Chaillot, Paris, 1997)
Queen + David Bowie -– “Under Pressure” (Rah Mix)
Freddie Mercury + Montserrat Caballé -– “Barcelona” (Single Version)
Queen — “Too Much Love Will Kill You”

LP 5 — Side B
George Michael + Queen -– “Somebody to Love” (Live, The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert For AIDS Awareness, Wembley, April 1992)
Queen -– “You Don’t Fool Me”
Queen -– “Heaven For Everyone”
Queen -– “Las Palabras De Amor” (The Words Of Love)

LP 6 — Side A
Brian May -– “Driven by You”
Freddie Mercury -– “Living On My Own”
Queen –- “Let Me Live”
Freddie Mercury -– “The Great Pretender”
Queen -– “Princes Of The Universe”

LP 6 — Side B
Queen + Wyclef Jean -– “Another One Bites the Dust” (Remix)
Queen — “No One but You (Only the Good Die Young)”
Queen — “These Are the Days of Our Lives”
Queen — “Thank God It’s Christmas”

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On Wednesday, Live Nation launched its 2022 Concert Week promotion, which offers $25 tickets to shows by more than 200 artists taking place across North American throughout the summer.

In total, over 3,700 concerts will be discounted as part of the promotion, which runs through Tuesday, May 10. Among the many participating tours is REO Speedwagon, Styx and Loverboy‘s Live & UnZoomed package trek, which kicks off May 31 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Founding REO Speedwagon keyboardist Neal Doughty says he and his band mates are excited to be returning to full-scale touring following two years where the number of shows they played was reduced because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re thrilled that live music is back, of course, because that’s our entire life,” he tells ABC Audio. “But we just want to really let people know that, hey, come out of your house, it’s safe now. Live music is back and Live Nation is gonna kick-start the whole thing.”

Doughty notes that REO and Styx have toured many times together many times over the years, and the two bands really complement each other.

“[I]t just really works well,” Neal maintains. “Like our manager says, ‘One plus one equals three when it’s Styx and REO.’ And then, of course, you put somebody like Loverboy on the show, and who would not go to a show like that? I don’t know.”

Doughty also points out that his band and Styx both deliver a balanced show that offers up “the right mix between the love songs and the hard-rock songs.”

The Live & UnZoomed tour is mapped out through a September 18 concert in Bangor, Maine.

For full details about the Concert Week promotion, including a list of participating artists and venues, visit LiveNation.com/ConcertWeek.

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Doors guitarist Robby Krieger and original Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine will perform at the Asian Hall of Fame’s Celebrate Asia Festival, taking place July 30 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California.

The red-carpet event is a benefit for Asian Hall of Fame‘s newly launched Brain Injury Endowment, which supports trauma survivors, victims of hate crime and brain injury research.

Seraphine will be playing a headlining set with his band California Transit Authority, or CTA, which also features former Chicago bassist/singer Jeff Coffey and veteran keyboardist Ed Roth, who also frequently collaborates with Krieger.

Both Seraphine and Krieger are Asian Hall of Fame Ambassadors, awarded annually to noteworthy non-Asian people who support the Hall of Fame’s mission of celebrating Asian excellence, cross-cultural collaboration, and multiracial fairness to with a goal of overcoming anti-Asian violence.

The event begins with a VIP reception starting at 4 p.m. PT that will include an artisan showcase, traditional performers, and food from Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand. The reception also will include a memorabilia auction featuring collectibles from Chicago, The Eagles, U2 and more.

The concert will run from 7:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. PT. Early bird tickets to the Celebrate Asia Festival can be purchased at AsianHallofFame.org.

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There hasn’t been much to laugh about in the Foo Fighters world over the last month or so, but perhaps the home release of Studio 666 might be able to help.

The horror-comedy movie, which stars the members of the Foos as fictionalized versions of themselves trying to record a new album in a haunted mansion, will be available to buy digitally on May 10, and on Blu-ray and DVD May 24.

Studio 666 first premiered in theaters this past February, and has been available as an on-demand rental since March. Frontman Dave Grohl also recorded a metal EP under the moniker Dream Widow, the name of a fictional band from the movie.

It was the same day that the Dream Widow EP dropped, March 25, that drummer Taylor Hawkins unexpectedly died at age 50. Foo Fighters have remained quiet since, breaking their silence only to announce the cancellation of their tour dates.

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Pearl Jam paid tribute to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins during their concert in San Diego Tuesday.

As noted by SPIN and captured in fan-shot footage posted to YouTube, frontman Eddie Vedder took a moment to honor Hawkins before performing the song “Quick Escape,” specifically mentioning Hawkins’ friendship with PJ drummer Matt Cameron.

“[Hawkins] emitted something very incredible and very special,” Vedder said. “We’re all missing him.”

Turning back toward Cameron, Vedder continued, “Matt, I’m sorry again for your loss. But it just gives us another chance to say how much we appreciate you, as well.”

Hawkins died unexpectedly on March 25 at age 50, after which Foo Fighters canceled all of their tour dates. Members of the Foos were reportedly in attendance when Red Hot Chili Peppers performed in their place last weekend at the New Orleans Jazz Fest.

Pearl Jam’s San Diego show marked their first show since Hawkins’ passing, and the band’s first stop on their long-delayed U.S. tour, which was originally scheduled for 2020 before getting postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The outing will continue Friday in Los Angeles.

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Following today’s news that Judas Priest will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year as recipients of the Musical Excellence Award, ex-Priest guitarist K.K. Downing shared his feelings about the legendary metal group finally achieving the honor.

Referencing the fact that Judas Priest was passed over for induction twice, after receiving nominations in 2018 and 2020, Downing explained to eonmusic, “[W]hen you get nominated that amount of times and don’t win, when you actually do win, it takes the edge off it a bit, because you’ve failed a lot of times. But it’s better to score the goal at the end of the game!”

Downing, who was a member of Judas Priest from 1970 to 2011, has had a strained relationship with his ex-band mates since exiting the group. That being said, Priest frontman Rob Halford told Billboard Wednesday that all of the band’s former members who will be inducted “have every right to be a part of the event,” adding, “I’m very pleased for everybody. There’s no bitterness. There’s no angst.”

For his part, Downing says he’s “not sure” if he’ll reunite with the band at the ceremony, which is scheduled for November 5 in Los Angeles.

“I think it’s just a question of seeing how everything lies when it comes to them, really, because a lot of things can happen between now and then, the 70-year-old rocker noted. “[A] lot of things could get better, but they could get worse, or stay the same.”

Downing said he’s particularly happy that two of Priest’s former drummers, Les Binks and the late Dave Holland, also will be inducted.

“They were an integral part [of the band] for a long time,” K.K. said.

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