Classic Rock News

Rock band INXS will be the subject of a new book being released this fall by Petrol Records, UMe and uDiscover Music, along with This Day In Music Books.

Calling All Nations – A Fan History Of INXS, dropping October 3, aims to recount the history of the Aussie rockers through the stories and memories of their dedicated fanbase. The group’s surviving members —  brothers Andrew Farriss, Jon Farriss and Tim Farriss, Kirk Pengilly and Garry Gary Beers — have also contributed to the project.

“We are thrilled to have our fans come together to tell the story of INXS in their own words,” Pengilly shares. “Their support and passion have been instrumental in our success, and we are honored to have their contributions be a part of this book.” He adds it’s “a testament to the enduring legacy of INXS, and we hope it will continue to inspire and connect fans for generations to come.” 

Calling All Nations will be released in three different editions: a limited hardcover edition; Special Edition box set, with items from the band’s history; and a Super Deluxe box set autographed by band members.

Calling All Nations is available for preorder now.

INXS gained international stardom in the ’80s and ’90s thanks to hits like “What You Need,” “Need You Tonight,” “Never Tear Us Apart” and “New Sensation.” A lot of that fame was thanks to their charismatic lead singer, Michael Hutchence, who took his own life in November 1997. The band did go on following Hutchence’s death, first with lead singer JD Fortune, who they found on the reality show Rock Star: INXS, and then later with Irish singer-songwriter Ciaran Gribbin. They gave their last performance in November 2012.

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Brad, the band featuring Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard, has released a new song called “Hey Now What’s the Problem?”

The track will appear on the upcoming album In the Moment That You’re Born, which features vocals recorded by late singer Shawn Smith prior to his death in 2019.

You can listen to “Hey Now What’s the Problem?” now via digital outlets.

In the Moment That You’re Born will mark the final Brad album. It arrives July 28. That same day, Brad will also release a 30th anniversary reissue of their 1993 debut, Shame.

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Pat Benatar and husband Neil Giraldo have appeared to respond after Sen. Ted Cruz invoked Benatar’s name in a rant against Democrats and President Joe Biden.

It happened during an appearance on Joe Pagliarulo’s conservative talk show, after the host asked Cruz whether there was any chance of seeing a Biden impeachment and conviction.  

“I don’t think Senate Democrats, if you had video of Joe Biden murdering children dressed as the devil under a full moon while singing Pat Benatar, they still wouldn’t vote to convict,” Cruz responded, baffling many who couldn’t understand why he chose to single out Benatar’s music as being a symbol of evil.

As for Benatar and Giraldo’s response, they took to Facebook and simply posted, “Nice Try.” And while they didn’t specifically say they were replying to Cruz, it’s clear by all the comments people believe that was the reason for the post. Variety notes that Benatar’s publicist said she wouldn’t comment further on the subject.

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Bob Dylan has plenty of his own songs he can play in concert, but at his show at Plaza de Toros Alicante in Spain Thursday, June 15, he broke out a surprise cover of someone else’s classic. Fan-shot footage posted to YouTube shows Dylan performing Van Morrison’s 1970 track “Into The Mystic.”

While this is the first time Dylan has performed the tune, it’s not the first time he’s covered one of Morrison’s songs, with Rolling Stone noting he’s covered tunes like “Crazy Love,” “Carrying A Torch” and more in the past.

Morrison has also been covering Dylan tracks for years, including “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” which appeared on his 1966 album, Them Again, as well as “Just Like A Woman” and “I Shall Be Released.” In 1998 the pair even toured together. 

Dylan is currently on the European leg of his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour. He plays a second night at the Plaza de Toros Alicante on Saturday, June 17. A complete list of dates can be found at bobdylan.com.

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Neil Young has added more shows to his Coastal Tour. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has added two more dates to the trek.

After his July 13 concert at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles sold out, Young added a second date at the same venue, this time on July 10. He’s also added a new city to the tour, with a July 24 show at Outdoor Arena at Harveys in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

The Coastal Tour, featuring special guest Chris Pierce, is set to kick off with a four-night stand at Los Angeles’ John Anson Ford Theatre on July 1, 2, 4 and 5. Young has said the tour will focus on songs he hasn’t played live before. 

The tour will be Young’s first since before the pandemic. A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at neilyoungarchives.com.

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When Iron Maiden was once again passed over for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, metal fans felt it was yet another sign that the institution doesn’t respect their favorite genre. Perhaps those fans can take heart that Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson continues to be disinterested in the honor.

“I don’t want to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!” Dickinson tells The Telegraph. “Because we’re not dead yet!”

Maiden was among the nominees for the Rock Hall’s 2023 class, marking the second time they’ve been on the ballot but passed over for induction. Even though Dickinson, as established, doesn’t particularly care about getting in, he does seem to agree that the reason Maiden hasn’t been inducted is because they play metal.

“Some people feel almost actively threatened by metal,” Dickinson says. “Not by the nature of the music. But by the fact that it doesn’t conform to their worldview of what pop music should be.”

“Pop music is disposable, darling,” he adds. “Well: we don’t make disposable pop music.”

The 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees do include Rage Against the Machine, Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson and The Spinners.

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Bruce Springsteen has a reputation for playing three-hour concerts, and it sounds like Paul McCartney isn’t happy about it.

The Beatles legend sat down for a chat with Conan O’Brien at the Tribeca Festival in New York Thursday, June 15, and, according to USA Today, complained a bit about the trend of longer concerts. He joked, “I blame Bruce Springsteen. I told him so. I said, ‘It’s your fault!’”

When Conan noted, “He ruined it for everyone,” McCartney agreed.

“We used to do a half hour. That was like The Beatles’ thing – and we got paid for it. I tried to work out, ‘Why was it so short?’ Well, because there was a lot of people on the (lineup),” he said. “When you went to a thing, if you were a comedian, the promoter would say, ‘How long can you do? Four minutes?’ And the guy would say yes. So we thought, ‘Half an hour – that’s epic!’ But that was it.” 

He adds, “With a Beatles show, we were on and off like that, and it didn’t seem strange.”

Of course, McCartney concerts have gotten longer, with his last show at the U.K. Glastonbury Festival consisting of 38 songs.

McCartney was in New York promoting his new photography book, 1964: Eyes of the Storm, which is out now.

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Pretenders have released the second single off their upcoming album, Relentless. 

The latest is the album’s closing track, “I Think About You Daily,” which features Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, who provided the string arrangement and conducted the 12 Ensemble on the song.

“I met Jonny a couple of times and we’re obviously big fans of him because he’s done some incredible music over the years,” Chrissie Hynde shares, noting she was “thrilled and very surprised” when he said he wanted to do something together.

Relentless, which is now dropping September 15 due to production delays, is the follow-up to 2020’s Hate for Sale. It’s the second consecutive album where Hynde and Pretenders guitarist James Walbourne collaborated on all the songwriting. 

Relentless is available for preorder now.

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Fleetwood Mac’s classic tune “Don’t Stop” is featured in a new short film for Greenpeace, which was executive produced by 12 Years A Slave director Steve McQueen.

Variety reports the song’s writer, the late Fleetwood Mac keyboardist and singer Christine McVie, gave the organization the rights to use the song before she passed away in November 2022. The version in the clip was produced by Fraser T. Smith and is performed by Future Utopia. It features rapper Avelino, vocals from the House Gospel Choir and music from jazz talent development organization Tomorrow’s Warriors.

“This is no ordinary cover: ‘Don’t Stop’ is a contemporary fable about being young in the world today,” reads a description of the clip. “The song is a call to action for people worried about their future and the state of the planet, and a rallying cry for those who dream of a better tomorrow. Together we can stand up to the fossil fuel industry.” 

The video, directed by Samona Olanipekun, is set at an extravagant party where guests are celebrating to excess, although some, including Guardians of the Galaxy 3’s Will Poulter, start to wake up and realize the reality of the situation. 

Olanipekun shares, “My film is a metaphor for the climate crisis – things feel like they’re falling apart around us, while those in power continue with business as usual. The guests who snap out of the trance represent those brave enough to confront the truth. People everywhere are facing climate catastrophe – it’s time for us to wake up, and shake up, the fossil fuel industry. Together, we are stronger, and every voice makes us louder.”

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Dolly Parton has teamed up with some big-name rockers for her upcoming Rockstar album, and we are now getting another taste of the record.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just released two new collaborations from the album, including her cover of Heart’s “Magic Man (Carl Version),” likely a reference to her hubby, Carl Dean. The track features Heart’s Ann Wilson and special guest Howard Leese, a former member of the group.

“I’ve always wanted a reason to sing ‘Magic Man’ by Heart and it was one of my first choices for the album,” Parton says. “I was so happy that Ann Wilson agreed to sing it with me. Nobody can out-sing Ann, but I gave it my darndest, and we added a few lines that were not in the original.” 

Dolly also released the original track “Bygones,” featuring Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, who she met when they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame together in 2022. It also features Mötley Crüe‘s Nikki Sixx and John 5.

“It is one of my very favorites on the whole album,” Dolly shares. “The song fits with so many couples and coupling my voice with Rob, one of my all-time favorites, made it even more special.”

Rockstar will be released November 17 as a four-LP or two-CD set. It is available for preorder now.

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