Classic Rock News

Atlantic Records has announced new vinyl reissues in honor of the label’s 75th anniversary, including one for Led Zeppelin’s 1971 release, Led Zeppelin IV, which will be available on crystal-clear 180g vinyl on October 27.

Atlantic has been celebrating their 75th anniversary throughout the year with reissues of albums by artists including INXS, The Velvet Underground, Genesis, Yes, Buffalo Springfield, Bad Company, Foreigner and Crosby, Stills, & Nash, among many others.

“Our 75th anniversary has given us an incredible opportunity to revisit the amazing range and depth of the music that Atlantic has released across the decades,” says Atlantic Records chairman & CEO Craig Kallman.

Released November 8, 1971, Led Zeppelin IV featured several of the band’s best-known tunes, including their epic rock anthem “Stairway to Heaven.” It is the band’s best-selling album and has been certified 24-times Platinum by the RIAA.

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Chrissie Hynde wants fans to know that when she doesn’t stop to say hi to them, it’s nothing personal.

The Pretenders frontwoman shared a post on Facebook following the end of their current run of shows, which included opening for Guns N’ Roses and Pretenders club dates. In it, she explained why she’s stopped chatting with fans.

“I want to apologize for not stopping to say hello outside the venues. I used to, but certain individuals have made it too much brain damage to deal with,” she writes. “It’s not you lovely fans – it’s the guys with stacks of albums and guitars they want signed. (Personally , I appreciate a good scam, but c’mon! How cheap),” adding, “You would not believe how entitled some people think they are. Aggressive? Don’t get me started.”

Hynde also says she doesn’t like “being recognized or approached in public.”

“Why? Because I like doing ordinary things like walking around on my own on the street, or shopping, or going to museums and whatnot. Exploring cities,” she explains. “That’s why I do this, the music is a byproduct of wanting to see the world.”

She adds, “So I would like to say to those that make it a problem, ”Go f*** yourselves – and do it today’! (Thank you Robert Crumb for coining that excellent phrase ).”

Next up for Pretenders, they’re set to release their new album Relentless on Friday, September 15. They also have more concert dates on their schedule, with the next U.S. show happening October 1 at the Ohana Festival in Dana Point, California. A complete list of dates can be found at thepretenders.com

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Billy Joel is revisiting the second half of his recording career with the brand new vinyl box set, Billy Joel –The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2, dropping November 3.

The 11-LP set includes such classic Billy albums as 1980’s Glass Houses, 1982’s The Nylon Curtain, 1983’s An Innocent Man, 1986’s The Bridge, 1989’s Storm Front and 1993’s The River of Dreams, which was Joel’s final pop album. The set also includes the 2001 instrumental album, Fantasies & Delusions, which featured classical compositions written by Joel and performed by classical pianist Richard Joo.

As an added bonus, the set comes with the three-LP live album, Billy Joel – Live from Long Island, a homecoming show recorded December 29, 1982, at Nassau Coliseum. Highlights from the concert aired on HBO the following year, with the full concert getting a VHS release, but this is the first time it’s coming out on vinyl. A digital version of the concert film is being released as well.

Joel first revisited his catalog in 2021 with The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1. It focused on his rise to stardom, featuring his albums from the 1970s.

Billy Joel –The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2 is available for preorder now.

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Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan has released a new song called “Longfeather,” a track off his upcoming solo album, Lighthouse.

In a statement reflecting on the lyrics of “Longfeather,” McKagan shares, “‘Today is a good day to die’ refers not to a macabre yearning for death, but rather a lust for life and the learned habits of a good and honest daily striving.”

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

“Longfeather” is the third cut to be released from Lighthouse following “I Saw God on 10th St.” and the title track. The album, which also features collaborations with Slash, Iggy Pop and Alice in Chains‘ Jerry Cantrell, will arrive in full on October 20.

If you preorder Lighthouse from McKagan’s website or sign up for his mailing list, you’ll get access to an online Q&A event with Duff and Cantrell.

You can also catch McKagan live on Guns N’ Roses’ ongoing U.S. tour, which continues Friday, September 15, in Hollywood, Florida.

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On This Day, September 13, 2019…

Singer Eddie Money passed away at the age of 70 after a battle with cancer.

Throughout his career, Money had 11 Top 40 songs, including two Top 10 hits, “Take Me Home Tonight,” with Ronnie Spector, which peaked at #2 in 1986, and “Walk on Water,” which went to #9 in 1988.

Other classic Money songs include “Baby Hold On,” “Two Tickets to Paradise,” “Think I’m in Love” and “Shakin’.”

Money’s health began to decline in July of 2019; he developed pneumonia after undergoing a heart valve replacement. In August of that year, he revealed he had been diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer, and died a month later at Keck Hospital of USC in Los Angeles.

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The story of the Seattle grunge scene of the ’90s has been told in many mediums, but Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready is hoping to bring it to the theater stage.

In an interview with Guitar World, McCready shares how the late Chris Cornell helped inspire the endeavor.

“I look at him as one of the greatest singers and songwriters of all time, aside from being a friend,” McCready says of the Soundgarden frontman. “I love Chris and I’m working on a little project about the Seattle scene and a musical kind of rock opera thing. It’s just from my experience in the Seattle music scene, and he’s part of it.”

McCready previously previewed a song called “Crying Moon” from the opera, which he wrote about Cornell, during a recent live show with his side project, The Rockfords.

“I’m working on a script and I’ve got about 18 songs that I’m working on, and I’m singing on it,” McCready says of the opera. “It’s been a long journey.”

There was previously a grunge musical in development back in 2017, which was set to feature the music of bands including Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, but it’s yet to materialize.

Meanwhile, McCready has also been working on new music with his main gig. He says that the next Pearl Jam album, the follow-up to 2020’s Gigaton, is “just about finished.”

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If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Elton John‘s musical version of The Devil Wears Prada, which was savaged by critics when it ran last year in Chicago, is opening on London’s West End next year.

According to Playbill, this production of the musical will have a new director and a “totally new creative team.” The music is still written by Elton, with lyrics by Shaina Taub, but the West End Theatre website reports that this show will be a “brand-new reimagined production” that has been “substantially reworked.”

The show is, of course, based on the 2003 book by Lauren Weisberger, which spawned the hit 2006 movie of the same name starring Meryl Streep as the imperious fashion editor Miranda Priestly and Anne Hathaway as her hapless assistant Andy.

The show will get a preview in Plymouth, England, in July of 2024 before it opens at the West End’s Dominion Theatre in October of 2024.

Variety dinged the Chicago production for its “sincere and fairly dull songs” and “overly respectful and frankly miscalculated approach to its source materials.”

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It’s common for superstar artists to raise money for charity by auctioning off prizes like a VIP trip to see them in concert. But Rod Stewart is going above and beyond that: He’s giving fans a chance to win the opportunity to sing with him live onstage in Las Vegas during his residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

Rod has teamed up with the website Prizeo to offer the amazing prize. He writes, “Not only will I cover your flights and accommodation in a stunning hotel in Las Vegas, but I’ll also give you premium tickets to enjoy my show from some of the best seats in the house. But wait, there’s more!”

“I’m also giving you the chance of a lifetime to join me on stage and sing along to one of my iconic hits!” he continues. “Imagine basking in the spotlight, surrounded by fellow fans, and sharing the electrifying energy that defines my concerts.”

So how do you get in on this deal? By donating money to The Prince’s Trust, which helps disadvantaged young people develop essential life skills and access job opportunities. A donation of $10 gets you 100 entries; $25 gets you 250 entries, and so on. Higher levels of donation also come with merch like T-shirts. 

You can also enter without donating, but you’ll have more chances if you pony up the cash.

Of course, before you enter, check your calendar and make sure you’re free on November 11, because that’s when the tickets are for.

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Eric Clapton will be hosting the seventh installment of his Crossroads Guitar Festival on September 23 and 24 in Los Angeles, and fans who can’t make it to California for the show will now be able to enjoy the music from the comfort of their own home.

The festival has teamed with Joe Hand Productions to bring the concerts to pay-per-view across cable and streaming outlets. Each show will be available for purchase starting at 7 p.m. ET each day, at a cost of $24.99 per day, or $39.99 for both days.

Clapton is set to headline both nights of the festival, with the lineup made up of artists like ZZ Top, Santana, Stephen Stills, Gary Clark, Jr., John Mayer Trio, Sheryl Crow, Robert Randolph, Roger McGuinn, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Vaughan, Joe Bonamassa and Jakob Dylan.

Proceeds from the shows, as well as an online auction, benefit The Crossroads Centre at Antigua, a rehab facility founded by Clapton. More information on the festival, including the complete lineup, can be found at crossroadsguitarfestival.com.

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Guitarist Joe Satriani is reuniting the original G3 lineup.

The original G3 tour launched in 1996, featuring three iconic guitarists: Satriani, Steve Vai and Eric Johnson. Now the trio is coming together again for a tour that will launch next year.

“Reuniting the original G3 line up is a dream come true for me,” Satriani shares. “I can’t wait to take the stage with Eric and Steve again!”

Johnson adds, “It’s going to be an honor to reunite with Joe and Steve and do the G3 tour together again. I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Vai noted, “It’s always an honor to contribute to a G3 tour, and to be with Joe and Eric again playing on stage is like living life to its fullest!”

The tour kicks off January 23 in Tucson, Arizona, hitting such cities as Las Vegas, Seattle and Oakland before wrapping with a two-night stand February 9 and 10 in Los Angeles.

As with previous G3 tours, each artist will perform a solo set, followed by a jam session with all three.

Ticket presales begin Thursday, September 14, at 10 a.m., with the general sale set for Friday, September 15, at 10 a.m. A complete list of dates can be found at g3tour.com.

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