Classic Rock News

During a new Billboard interview, Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner apparently let slip that a new Bruce Springsteen album will be released soon.

Wenner, whose new memoir Like a Rolling Stone was published Tuesday, was asked by Billboard how he felt about pop and hip hop becoming the dominant music genres, and he admitted that he still prefers rock ‘n’ roll.

“Give me the [Rolling] Stones,” the publisher declared. “There’s a new Bruce [Springsteen] record coming out this fall, which is stunning. I’m listening to that.”

Back in May 2021, Springsteen revealed while accepting the Woody Guthrie Prize that he had a new, California-inspired album “coming out soon,”but little word about the project has been heard about since.

Meanwhile, Springsteen interviewed Wenner about his book on Tuesday night at an event in New York City that also was streamed live online.

According to the Asbury Park Press, during the Q&A, the Boss jokingly griped about how Rolling Stone didn’t put him on the cover after the success of his 1975 album Born to Run.

“I’m not picking a bone here or anything. But … I always felt they were a little skittish about putting me on the cover when that record came out,” Springsteen commented. “I was on the cover of Time and Newsweek!”

Wenner responded by noting, “He was the establishment pick at that time. I mean, nobody ever got on the cover of those two magazines at once. There was a huge controversy in New York media between Time and Newsweek.”

Wenner also reflected on some of the famous rock artists who were easy to interview, mentioning Springsteen, The Who‘s Pete Townshend and U2‘s Bono.

“All you have to do is ask one question,” Jann said.

“We can’t shut up,” Springsteen added.

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Earlier this month, David Lee Roth debuted a new solo version of Van Halen‘s classic 1984 hit “Panama” recorded live in the studio and now he’s premiered an updated rendition of another well-known tune by his old band from the same session.

You can check out Roth’s live in-studio version of “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love,” a song that appeared on Van Halen’s self-titled 1978 debut album, at Diamond Dave’s official YouTube channel.

Accompanying the clip is an archival photo of shirtless Roth chained to a fence.

Like his new version of “Panama,” Roth recorded  “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love” in May of this year at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles with the current members of his solo backing band — guitarist Al Estrada, bassist Ryan Wheeler and drummer Francis Valentino.

According to the reliable Van Halen News Desk fan site, Roth recorded 14 songs on May 3 during a two-hour session at the studio.

In other Van Halen-related news, a ceremony marking the opening of a new performance stage named after the band in Eddie and Alex Van Halen‘s hometown of Pasadena, California, which was supposed to take place this past Saturday, September 10, was postponed to this Saturday, September 17, because of bad weather, Pasadena Now reports.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. PT on Saturday that will celebrate the opening of the stage and the park where its located, Playhouse Village Park. A two-hour community celebration will follow.

The Van Halen family moved to Pasadena from the Netherlands in 1962, and the siblings formed their famous namesake band in the city in 1972. Eddie died in October 2020 from complications of cancer at age 65.

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A new edition of the touring celebration of The Band‘s historic, all-star 1976 farewell concert, “The Last Waltz,” will take place this November.

The Last Waltz Tour 2022, which features a star-studded lineup headed by ex-Allman Brothers Band member Warren Haynes and acclaimed producer/bassist Don Was, will kick off with a November 3-4 stand in Port Chester, New York, and is plotted out through a November 20 show in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Tickets for the trek, which features a total of 13 confirmed dates, go on sale Friday, September 16, at 10 a.m. ET.

Other musicians taking part in the tour include The Neville Brothers‘ Cyril Neville, country artist Jamey Johnson, The Radiators‘ Dave Malone, longtime Muddy Waters guitarist Bob Margolin, Dirty Dozen Brass Band drummer Terence Higgins and avant-jazz keyboardist John Medeski. The shows also feature a horn section that will be playing original arrangements created for The Band by late New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint. The trek is sanctioned by founding Band guitarist Robbie Robertson.

“We are counting down the days till we get to see this lineup, performing these songs, in the greatest music celebration of our lives,” says The Last Waltz Tour creator and producer Keith Wortman. “Seeing the audiences sing along to every word at every show as one family is what all of us music fans live for.”

The original Last Waltz concert was held November 25, 1976, at San Francisco’s Winterland venue. Documented for a movie directed by Martin Scorsese, it featured The Band performing with guest artists including Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Neil Diamond, Ronnie Wood, Ringo Starr and Dr. John.

Check out the tour dates at BlackbirdPresents.com.

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Mark David Chapman, the man who shot music legend John Lennon to death in December 1980, has been denied parole for the 12th time, according to the New York State Department of Corrections
and Community Supervision.

Chapman, 67, was turned down by the Board of Parole following an interview August 31. He will now have to wait 18 months, until February 2024, before his request for parole will be reviewed again.

Chapman is currently incarcerated at Green Haven Correctional Facility in Beekman, New York. He was transferred to the prison earlier this year after spending many years at the Wende Correctional Facility outside of Buffalo, New York.

Chapman received a sentence of 20 years to life in August 1981, after he pleaded guilty to shooting the former Beatles star outside of Lennon’s apartment in Manhattan on December 8, 1980. 

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Taipei Houston, the band featuring the sons of Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, will release their debut album on November 4.

The nine-track effort is titled Once Bit Never Bored and includes the previously released song “As the Sun Sets.” A second cut, called “The Middle,” is out now via digital outlets.

Taipei Houston features Layne Ulrich on vocals and bass, and brother Myles on drums and guitar. In a statement about their debut record, the Ulrichs say, “To us, Taipei Houston is about going against the grain in every aspect.”

“We live in a time that is ripe with extremely difficult and confusing challenges,” the duo continues. “Technology grips the world more and more, politics have become so polarized, we are heading towards climate disaster. This music is born and bred out of the contemporary, buzzing digital anxiety we all experience, and how we can try to escape those feelings — even for a second.”

Here’s the Once Bit Never Bored track list:

“As the Sun Sets”
“Hello from the Bottom”
“The Middle”
“Hypocrite”
“Respecter”
“Susie Thin Lips”
“Frequency”
“Lie, Lie”
“Drop Song”

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Paul McCartney is speaking out in support of a campaign by PETA’s Indian branch to have an allegedly abused elephant sent to a rescue center.

PETA India claims that a captive female elephant known alternately as Jeymalyatha and Joymala has been beaten by its keepers in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. They’ve shared viral videos from June 2002 and February that allegedly show the animal being abused.

McCartney has written a letter to India’s Union Cabinet Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, asking him to immediately relocate Jeymalyatha to a suitable animal sanctuary.

“I have considered India a spiritual place ever since I travelled there in the 1960s. I was impressed by India’s cultural love for animals,” writes Sir Paul, a longtime vegetarian and PETA supporter. “I know India reveres elephants, its national heritage animal; but cruelty to animals happens everywhere, even in India.”

He continues, “What reflects on a country’s values is how that cruelty is addressed. That’s why I am confident that action will be taken to send sorely abused elephant Jeymalyatha (Joymala) to a suitable rescue centre where she can receive the specialized care she needs for her psychological wounds, and can live unchained and in the company of others of her kind.”

McCartney adds, “I trust you agree that Jeymalyatha has suffered more than enough and that she deserves to spend the rest of her time on this Earth away from her abusive trainers, rehabilitating, and with others of her kind.”

A variety of Indian celebrities are also supporting the PETA campaign, with many posting tweets using the hashtag #FreeElephantJeymalyatha.

Visit PETAIndia.com for more details about the story.

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Tommy Lee is apparently unconcerned by a fan’s complaint over concertgoers allegedly exposing their genitals during a recent Mötley Crüe show.

This week, ABC Bay Area affiliate KGO published a story on Juan Alvarez, who attended Mötley Crüe’s concert in San Francisco with his sister on September 7. During the show, Alvarez says that Lee, who made headlines over the summer after posting a fully nude selfie on Instagram, told the audience to expose themselves in a similar manner.

“Minors and everyone was forced to see people nude on the big screen and everyone was doing it around us too,” Alvarez says.

Lee then responded to the news report by declaring, “The world is too soft!”

“Been doing this s*** for years Juan!” Lee tweeted. “Mötley Crüe concerts aren’t PG and never have been!!!! Grow the f*** up!”

The drummer added, “Complaining about seeing t*** at a Mötley Crüe concert is like complaining about seeing cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory.”

Alvarez, meanwhile, says he’ll never attend a Mötley Crüe show again.

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A limited-edition vinyl LP titled Paris Blues featuring the last known unreleased studio recording by The Doors will be issued on November 25 as part of Record Store Day’s 2022 Black Friday event.

The eight-song disc, which will be pressed on blue vinyl, is a blues-themed compilation that features the title track, an original tune written by The Doors and recorded during the sessions for either The Soft Parade or L.A. Woman. The master tape of “Paris Blues” was lost, and the only recording that survived was on a tape given to Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, whose son Pablo partially damaged it when he was a child. The recording has been salvaged using creative editing.

The Paris Blues album also includes two previously unreleased tracks, featuring singer Jim Morrison and guitarist Robby Krieger performing as a duo at a May 1969 benefit event for author Norman Mailer‘s mayoral campaign in West Hollywood, California. The songs are a rendition of “I Will Never Be Untrue,” an original Doors tune intended for 1970’s Morrison Hotel album, and a cover of Robert Johnson‘s “Me and the Devil Blues.”

In addition, the LP contains two outtakes from The Soft Parade, “(You Need Meat) Don’t Go No Further” and “I’m Your Doctor,” which feature Manzarek on vocals. The tracks, which also include bass parts recorded in 2019 by Stone Temple Pilots‘ Robert DeLeo, were originally released as part of The Soft Parade‘s 50th anniversary reissue.

Closing out Paris Blues are a trio of blues covers from the archival Doors concert album Live in Vancouver 1970, which was released in 2010. The performances feature the band joined by blues legend Albert King. Audio of Morrison introducing King is also included.

Paris Blues‘ cover features an original painting by Krieger.

Here’s the album’s full track list:

Side A
“Paris Blues”*
“I Will Never Be Untrue”*
“Me and the Devil Blues”*
“(You Need Meat) Don’t Go No Further”
“I’m Your Doctor”

Side B
Jim’s Introduction
“Little Red Rooster” — with Albert King
“Rock Me Baby” — with Albert King
“Who Do You Love?” with Albert King

* = previously unreleased.

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Ozzy Osbourne has shared his full performance from his halftime set during the NFL’s season opening game last Thursday in Los Angeles.

Leading up to the game, a press release said that a “portion” of Ozzy’s performance would air as part of the NBC broadcast. Metal heads who tuned in to see the Prince of Darkness rock LA’s SoFi Stadium were disappointed to find that NBC only showed about 10 seconds of Ozzy before cutting back to analysis of the game’s first half.

Now, you can finally watch the performance in its entirety streaming via Ozzy’s YouTube.

The seven-minute set included renditions of “Patient Number 9,” the title track off Ozzy’s just-released solo album, and his solo classic “Crazy Train.” Ozzy’s backing band included drummer Tommy Clufetos, bassist Chris Chaney and Patient Number 9 producer Andrew Watt on guitar. Black Label Society frontman and Ozzy touring guitarist Zakk Wylde joined in to shred the solo on “Crazy Train.”

The halftime performance marked Ozzy’s first U.S. live appearance since he played the 2019 American Music Awards alongside Post Malone and Travis Scott. He hasn’t played a full live show since New Year’s Eve 2018.

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Yes‘ classic fifth studio album, Close to the Edge, was released 50 years ago today, Tuesday.

A follow-up to the English prog-rock band’s popular 1971 album Fragile, Close to the Edge is Yes’ highest-charting entry on the Billboard 200, peaking at #3.

Close to the Edge features three long-form pieces, including the four-part, more than 18-minute title track, which took up the entire first side of the LP version.

An edited version of the second track, “And You and I,” was released as a single, reaching #42 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Making that album was a breakthrough for me completely … as a musician, as a sort of composer with [guitarist] Steve [Howe],” original Yes frontman Jon Anderson explains to ABC Audio, “’cause me and Steve, during the course of the Fragile tour … spent a lot of time sketching out the idea of ‘Close to the Edge.’ So when we got in the studio, everything was planned pretty well.”

Anderson also notes putting together “Close to the Edge” in the studio was an interesting process where the band members worked on multiple 3- to 5-minute segments as they built the epic song.

“At the end of it,” Jon recalls, “I couldn’t believe how extraordinary it was to edit it all together, and sit back after a month of creativity … and listen to it and go … ‘It’s so beautiful. It’s so good. Wow.'”

Close to the Edge was the last 1970s Yes studio album to feature founding drummer Bill Bruford, who left the band to join King Crimson. He was replaced by Alan White.

Close to the Edge is ranked #5 on Rolling Stone‘s 2015 list of the “50 Greatest Prog-Rock Albums of All Time.”

Here’s the track list:

“Close to the Edge”
–I. “The Solid Time of Change”
–II. “Total Mass Retain”
–III. “I Get Up, I Get Down”
-IV. “Seasons of Man”
“And You and I”
–I. “Cord of Life”
–II. “Eclipse”
–III. “The Preacher, the Teacher”
–IV. “The Apocalypse”
“Siberian Khatru”

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