Classic Rock News

Humble Pie has just released a collection of rare studio tracks, titled I Need a Star in My Life, that they recorded during the mid-1970s.

The 20-song compilation is available now on CD, via digital formats and as a two-LP set pressed on either blue, orange or red vinyl.

I Need a Star in My Life was recorded from 1974 to 1976 by a Humble Pie lineup that featured founding lead singer/guitarist Steve Marriott and bassist Greg Ridley, as well as guitarist Clem Clempson, who had replaced original member Peter Frampton in 1971.

The recordings capture the trio experimenting with various musical styles and include several original tunes alongside covers of songs by Sam Cooke, Bo Diddley and more.

King Crimson sax player Mel Collins makes a guest appearance on the album.

In addition, Humble Pie released a companion seven-inch red-vinyl single that features their rendition of Cooke’s “Shake,” which also appears on the I Need a Star in My Life album, paired with the rare track “Bluestalk,” a blues jam between Marriott and The Rolling Stones‘ Brian Jones that was recorded in 1969.

Here’s the full track list of I Need a Star in My Life:

“Shake”
“Mona”
“Lend Us a Quid”
“Send Me Some Lovin'”
“She Moves Me Man”
“Street Rat”
“Captain Goatcabin’s Balancing Stallions”
“High and Happy”
“Be My Baby”
“It’s All Over”
“Bluegrass Interval”
“Don’t Take But a Few Minutes”
“Louisiana Blues”
“You’re a Heartbreaker”
“I Need a Star in My Life”
“Cocaine”
“I’ll Find You”
“Lord Let Me Hold Out”
“Hambone”
“Signed Sealed”

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Deep Purple has welcomed guitarist Simon McBride as an official member of the band.

McBride began serving as Deep Purple’s touring guitarist earlier this year after longtime guitarist Steve Morse announced in March that he was taking a hiatus from the group to care for and spend time with his wife, Janine, as she battles cancer. In July, Morse, who joined Deep Purple in 1994, announced that he was officially leaving the group.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers said in a joint statement, “We are thrilled that Simon has agreed to join. Simon’s playing is up there with the greats. Of course, Steve can’t be replaced, the same as Ritchie [Blackmore], and Steve has a long legacy with Deep Purple. In Simon we have not found a replacement, but an extraordinarily talented and exciting guitarist in his own right.”

The group adds, “The reception from audiences over the Summer has already been great and we are looking forward to the forthcoming dates in the UK and Europe across the rest of the year. It is clear that Simon also holds great respect for those before him.  We are all excited for what the years to come hold for the band.”

McBride, meanwhile, says in his own statement, “I’m very happy to be asked to join the band, at the start of the pandemic if someone would have said to me that I was going to be the new guitarist in Deep Purple I would have just laughed, but here we are and it’s happening. Deep Purple has a history of great guitarists so I’m very honoured to be asked to be part of that.”

McBride previously toured with Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan and keyboardist Don Airey, among many others.

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It doesn’t sound like Ozzy Osbourne is a fan of Black Sabbath‘s last record.

In an interview with Stereogum, Ozzy was asked whether he felt “good” about where Sabbath’s final album, 2013’s 13, “left things.” His response? “Not really.”

“To be perfectly honest, I didn’t really get a charge from the album,” Ozzy shares.

“Although [producer] Rick Rubin is a good friend of mine, I wasn’t really…I was just singing,” the Prince of Darkness adds. “It was like stepping back in time, but it wasn’t a glorious period. Though [bassist] Geezer [Butler] did a lot of lyric writing for me, which he’s very, very good at. It wasn’t an earth-shattering experience for me.”

While 13 marked the first Sabbath album to feature Ozzy since 1978’s Never Say Die!, it wasn’t a complete reunion. Original drummer Bill Ward did not take part, which Ozzy says he now “regret[s].”

“It wasn’t really a Black Sabbath album,” Ozzy says. “I’m not saying that one day we might not all go in a room and come up with the perfect Black Sabbath album. But I’ll say, [13] wasn’t recorded the way Black Sabbath recorded records.”

“We’d gone right back past the point where we took charge, back to when someone else had full control of our recording,” he adds. “Which we never did from [1972’s] Vol. 4 onwards.”

Black Sabbath played their final show in 2017, and though he and guitarist Tony Iommi recently reunited for a brief performance over the summer, Ozzy feels that the band remains “completely done.”

“I think it’s time,” he says.

Ozzy, meanwhile, just released his new solo album, Patient Number 9.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers are teasing another preview of their upcoming album, Return of the Dream Canteen.

The “Californication” rockers will drop a new track from the record, titled “Eddie,” this Friday, September 23.

Along with the announcement, the Peppers have shared a minute-long clip of “Eddie,” which begins with a very “By the Way”-esque guitar riff and includes the lyric “They say I’m from Amsterdam/Does that make me Dutch?” — proving that Anthony Kiedis doesn’t just sing about California.

Return of the Dream Canteen, which also features the previously released single “Tippa My Tongue,” is due out October 14. It’s the second RHCP album of 2022, following April’s Unlimited Love.

Last week, Red Hot Chili Peppers wrapped their U.S. summer headlining tour. They’ll play the Louder than Life and Austin City Limits festivals this fall.

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The Kinks‘ Dave Davies recently released a solo compilation called Living on a Thin Line, a musical companion to his new memoir of the same name.

The 13-track collection features previously released solo studio recordings and live performances, as well as new mixes of two of Dave’s songs created by his son Simon.

One of the new mixes is of a 1999 live version of the classic Dave-penned 1971 Kinks song “Strangers,” recorded at a concert at Wisconsin’s Marian College.

“I have always thought [that rendition] was my favorite … recorded version of [‘Strangers.’]” Davies tells ABC Audio. “So we messed around with that [recording] a bit. Simon Davies added some bits of keyboards. He added some little audio improvements … And I’m very happy with it.”

The other new mix is of “This Is the Time,” a tune that appeared on Davies’ 2007 album Fractured Mindz, the first record Dave released after suffering a debilitating stroke in 2004.

Dave explains that the song is about embracing a youthful attitude about looking toward the future.

“‘This Is the Time’ is my heartfelt optimism about what we’re capable of, and maybe where we’re going,” he says. “[M]aybe this is the time to really make things happen. You know, like they thought in the [days] … before the Vietnam War … All the youth were in uproar, and the ‘Flower Power’ thing.”

The compilation also features select songs from 1998’s Kinked; 2002’s Bug; the 2000 concert album Rock Bottom: Live from The Bottom Line; and 2018’s Decade, a collection of unreleased tracks Dave recorded during the 1970s.

The Living on a Thin Line compilation can be purchased now on CD now via Amazon. A two-LP version of the album will be released on January 13, 2023.

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That’s R.E.M.‘s “Losing My Religion” video in the spotlight, being viewed one billion times.

The iconic clip has officially hit the milestone count on YouTube, 11 years after it was first uploaded to the site. It joins fellow ’90s videos Nirvana‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Guns N’ Roses‘ “November Rain,” AC/DC‘s “Thunderstruck,” Metallica‘s “Nothing Else Matters,” The Cranberries‘ “Zombie,” 4 Non Blondes‘ “What’s Up,” and Whitney Houston‘s “I Will Always Love You” in the billion views club.

“Losing My Religion” was initially released in 1991 as the lead single off R.E.M.’s album Out of Time. Its video won Video of the Year at the 1991 MTV VMAs.

News of “Losing My Religion’s” billion views achievement coincides with the anniversary of R.E.M.’s breakup. The band announced that they were splitting up on September 21, 2011.

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Last November, ZZ Top debuted its own unique brand of whisky called Tres Hombres, named after the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame trio’s 1973 studio album. Now the Texas blues-rockers are introducing a second entry into the liquor line — Tres Hombres Bourbon.

The whisky will be available starting this week at select retailers in three Texas cities — Austin, Dallas and Houston.

Tres Hombres Bourbon is made from three grains, with three distinct mash bills — that is, grain mixes — that have been “baked in the Southern heat” for three years.

“The launch of our 2021 Texas Whisky was an overwhelming success,” says ZZ Top manager Carl Stubner. “We look forward to sharing this new sweeter expression with our fans and friends to enjoy raising a glass to followers of good whisky across the country.”

The arrival of Tres Hombres Bourbon coincides with ZZ Top’s trio of Texas shows this week featuring special guests Jeff Beck and Heart‘s Ann Wilson. The concerts are scheduled for this Friday in Del Valle, Saturday in Dallas and Sunday in The Woodlands. Visit ZZTop.com for the band’s full upcoming itinerary.

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Journey guitarist Neal Schon has posted a lengthy statement responding to ex-Journey singer Steve Perry‘s recent legal action alleging that Schon and bandmate Jonathan Cain falsely claimed full ownership of the trademarks on 20 of the group’s songs.

In the message, which was posted on Facebook, Schon calls Perry’s lawsuit “a bunch of total crap” while explaining that the conflict ties in with the dispute over control of the band’s name that led to the 2020 dismissal of longtime Journey bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith.

Schon write that, at that time, Perry, Valory, Smith and band manager Herbie Herbert, who were part of Journey’s board of directors along with him and Cain, voted Schon and Cain off the board.

“They all knew at this time I’d been investigating our [trademarks] for years trying to get to the bottom of all corruption as we (my wife and I) found that nothing had ever been [trademarked] besides our music,” Schon maintains, adding, “They all went for a take over and it didn’t work.”

Schon notes that his wife then “found a legitimate [trademark] attorney” who helped him attain the trademarks.

Schon says he questions why Perry’s attorney, who also was Journey’s lawyer at that time, didn’t help the band secure those trademarks.

“It was a giant corrupted ring of people that either [management] or accountants hired to work for us cashing in on all our merchandise till now,” Schon alleges, “all along knowing there was No [trademark] on our merch.”

Neal concludes, “You haven’t heard the last of this friends. We are going to peel back the onion.”

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As she’s been making her way through the festival circuit this month, Stevie Nicks has added a cover of a classic tune to her set list, and now she’s releasing it as a single.

The song is Stevie’s version of Buffalo Springfield‘s “For What It’s Worth (Stop, Hey What’s That Sound).” The 1966 track was written by the band’s Stephen Stills in response to the demonstrations against Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip curfew laws, which turned violent as protestors clashed with police.

Now, Stevie writes on her socials, her version of the tune will be out on Friday. “It meant something to me then, and it means something to be now,” she notes of the song. “I always wanted to interpret it thru the eyes of a woman and it seems like today, in the times that we live in — that it has a lot to say. I can’t wait for you to hear it.”

Among the song’s lyrics which might resonate today: “There’s battle lines being drawn/Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong,” and “A thousand people in the street/Singing songs and they carrying signs/Mostly say, ‘Hooray for our side.'”

This will be Stevie’s first release of music since her 2020 single “Show Them the Way.”

“For What It’s Worth” isn’t the only cover Stevie’s been doing this month in concert: She’s also been performing her dear friend Tom Petty‘s “Free Fallin'” as well as her take on Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.”

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An archival Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers album and box set featuring highlights from the 20-show residency the band played at San Francisco’s famed Fillmore venue in 1997 will be released on November 25.

Put together by Tom Petty‘s estate in collaboration with Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, Live at the Fillmore (1997) will be available in multiple formats and configurations, including a four-CD package, a six-LP vinyl collection, a two-CD set and a three-LP release.

The four-CD and six-LP versions will feature 58 tracks, including 35 cover tunes. Both packages will come with a booklet featuring rare photos, three custom guitar picks, a replica laminate pass and an embroidered patch.

Live at the Fillmore (1997) features performances recorded during the final six shows of the residency. The band changed the set list every night; in addition to playing plenty of classic Petty & the Heartbreakers originals, they performed renditions of songs by The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The Kinks, The Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry and more.

Petty and company also welcomed some special guests during the residency, including Roger McGuinn, of The Byrds, and blues legend John Lee Hooker.

“Playing the Fillmore in 1997 for a month was one of my favorite experiences as a musician in my whole life,” Campbell says. “The band was on fire and we changed the set list every night. The room and the crowd was spiritual … AND … we got to play with some amazing guests. I will always remember those nights with joy and inspiration.”

A version of “Listen to Her Heart” has been released as an advance digital track from Live at the Fillmore and a companion music video has been posted on Petty’s official YouTube channel.

You can preorder Live at the Fillmore now.

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