Classic Rock News

Grateful Dead have shared a new track off the band’s upcoming 50th anniversary deluxe reissue of their album Wake of the Flood.

The band just released a live version of “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo,” recorded November 1, 1973, at Northwestern University’s McGaw Memorial Hall. It’s part of the deluxe edition’s bonus disc, which features the complete Northwestern concert. 

Released in 1973, Wake of the Flood was the first album released on the band’s own record label, Grateful Dead Records. Featuring new members Keith and Donna Godchaux, it was also the first album released following the death of founding member Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and the temporary departure of drummer Mickey Hart. 

Wake of the Flood (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) is set to drop September 29, digitally and as a two-CD set. It will also be reissued on 180-gram black vinyl, plus there will be a limited-edition “coke bottle clear vinyl” exclusive to Barnes & Noble and a 12-inch limited-edition vinyl picture disc. Additionally, there will be a Dead.net exclusive, limited-edition “Watermark” custom vinyl.

All versions are available for preorder now.

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The recent documentary about John Lennon’s relationship with former assistant May Pang is getting a digital release this fall. 

Deadline reports that the film, The Lost Weekend: A Love Story, has just been acquired by Briarcliff Entertainment, which plans to release it digitally and on Blu-ray on October 13, just four days after what would have been Lennon’s 80th birthday.

The Lost Weekend: A Love Story originally screened at the Tribeca Festival earlier this year. It is Pang’s account of her 18-month relationship with Lennon during a brief split from Yoko Ono in the early ’70s. The relationship was referred to as Lennon’s “lost weekend” and ended in February 1975, when Ono decided to return to Lennon.

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On August 25, 1970, Elton John took the stage at LA’s famous Troubadour club to perform his first-ever U.S. concert. It was the first night of a six-date residency. By the time he had finished, word had spread: the 23-year-old singer/songwriter was a star.

In honor of the 53rd anniversary of that first show, now cited as one of the greatest concerts of the rock era, Elton has launched a new merch collection that you can shop now. 

The Troubadour collection includes tees, hoodies and tote bags, many of which say “Elton John Has Arrived.” That was what it said on a banner that was hung from the double-decker London bus that Elton’s record company hired to drive him into town when he landed in LA.

Elton’s set list at the Troubadour that night included songs from his debut album, 1970’s Empty Sky, as well as then-unreleased music from his upcoming self-titled album, including his future hit “Your Song.”

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Brian Setzer has shared another single off his upcoming album, The Devil Always Collects. The latest is the title track to the record, which was written by Setzer and frequent collaborator Mike Himelstein.

The song is the third track Setzer has dropped from the album, following “Black Leather Jacket” and “Girl on the Billboard.” You can listen to “The Devil Always Collects” now via streaming services and on YouTube.

The Devil Always Collects is set to drop September 15. It is Setzer’s first record since 2021’s Gotta Have The Rumble.

And fans will soon be able to hear Setzer play some of those songs live. He’ll kick off his first tour in four years, the Rockabilly Riot tour, on September 27 in Red Bank, New Jersey. A complete list of dates can be found at briansetzer.com.

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Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale is paying tribute to the band’s original guitarist, Bernie Marsden, who passed away Thursday, August 24, at the age of 72.

Marsden’s death was confirmed by his family on social media. ”On behalf of his family, it is with deep sadness we announce the death of Bernie Marsden. Bernie died peacefully on Thursday,” they wrote. “Bernie never lost his passion for music, writing and recording new songs until the end.”

Whitesnake was formed in 1978 by Coverdale, Marsden and guitarist Micky Moody. Marsden wrote several of the band’s early songs, including their huge hit “Here I Go Again” as well as “Fool For Your Loving,” “She’s A Woman,” “Rough An’ Ready” and more. 

“I’ve just woken up to the awful news that my old friend & former Snake Bernie Marsden has passed,” Coverdale shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. “My sincere thoughts & prayers to his beloved family, friends & fans. A genuinely funny, gifted man, whom I was honored to know & share a stage with RIP, Bernie XXX.”

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Foghat just dropped the first single from their upcoming 17th studio album, Sonic Mojo, which is due out November 10.

The band has shared the track “Drivin’ On,” which they co-wrote with drummer Roger Earl’s former Savoy Brown bandmate Kim Simmonds before he passed away in December 2022.  

“It really is a Foghat sounding song,” Bryan Bassett shared in a video released by the band. “There’s a lot of diverse, kind of, approaches on this record, but we definitely put the hat on that one.”

Vocalist/guitarist Scott Holt adds, “A song like ‘Drivin’ On’ celebrates the swamp funk blues of Slim Harpo and the cosmic boogie of John Lee Hooker.”

“Drivin’ On” is one of three songs Simmonds co-wrote for the album; another one, “She’s A Little Bit of Everything,” drops September 23, while the third, “I Don’t Appreciate You,” will be released October 20.

Sonic Mojo will be released on CD and 180-gram neon purple vinyl. It is available for preorder now.

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Alice Cooper’s controversial comments about the trans community have now cost him a makeup deal.

Vampyre Cosmetics recently announced a new collaboration with Cooper, The Alice Cooper Collection, set to drop around Halloween, but after Cooper’s comments in Stereogum, they have canceled their plans.

“In light of recent statements by Alice Cooper we will no Longer be doing a makeup collaboration,” read a post on the company’s Instagram account. “We stand with all members of the LGBTQIA+ community and believe everyone should have access to healthcare. All pre-order sales will be refunded.” 

In the interview, Cooper said he was concerned that being transgender was “a fad” and took issue with “the whole woke thing,” noting it’s become “laughable.”

Cooper also suggested people should be worried about transgender folks in public bathrooms. He said, “Somebody’s going to get raped, and the guy’s going to say, ‘Well, I felt like a girl that day, and then I felt like a guy.’ Where do you draw this line?”

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Carlos Santana has apologized after video surfaced of him making seemingly anti-trans comments at a recent concert in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  

“I am sorry for my insensitive comments. They don’t reflect that I want to honor and respect all person’s ideals and beliefs,” he wrote in a since-deleted post on Facebook. “I realize that what I said hurt people and that was not my intent. I sincerely apologize to the transgender community and everyone I offended.”

In the video, Santana is heard telling the audience, “a woman is a woman and a man is a man. That’s it,” adding, “Whatever you wanna do in the closet, that’s your business. I’m okay with that.”

“Here is my personal goal that I strive to achieve every day. I want to honor and respect all person’s ideals and beliefs whether they are LGBTQ or not,” he writes in his apology. “This is the planet of free will and we have all been given this gift. I will now pursue this goal to be happy and have fun, and for everyone to believe what they want and follow in your hearts without fear.”

He concludes, “It takes courage to grow and glow in the light that you are and to be true, genuine, and authentic. We grow and learn to shine our light with Love and compliments. Have a glorious existence. Peace.”

There’s no word on why the post was removed, but Santana did replace it with another one that seems to be related to the subject. “the energy of consciousness generates its own kind,” he writes. “hate begets hate love begets love.”

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On This Day, August 25, 1975…

Bruce Springsteen released his third studio album, Born To Run.

The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 and helped Springsteen garner mainstream success. It went on to be a massive hit for the New Jersey rocker and has been certified seven-times Platinum by the RIAA.

Born to Run featured such future Springsteen classics as the title track, “Thunder Road” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” as well as fan favorites like “Jungleland,” “Backstreets” and “She’s The One,” all of which are regular staples at The Boss’ live shows.

Born To Run has consistently earned spots on lists of the greatest albums of all time. In 2015, it was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

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Queen‘s special relationship with their fans is the subject of the latest episode of their weekly YouTube series, Queen the Greatest Live.

When it comes to their concerts, Queen makes it a point to connect with their fans regardless of how big the spectacle is onstage. 

“I think we have a very personal relationship with the audience,” Brian May shares. “We don’t get lost in being gods with the costumes and lights. We’re still human and we like the interaction. I think that’s something which is a little different.” 

Roger Taylor adds that it’s important for them to “involve the audience” in their shows and not be like bands who feel they’re “too cool” for their crowd. He notes, “I mean, I remember some bands, the guitar player might even face the back. It’s just f****** rude, you know?”

Queen makes sure the audience has extra fun with their call-and-response songs like “We Will Rock You,” and it’s so important that if the band doesn’t get a reaction to a tune, it may change the set list.  

May explains, “The audience are fashioning what we play, and I think they know that. Of course, you go for the things which produce a reaction, whether it’s happy or sad – but some kind of reaction.”

In the past, if the band wasn’t getting the reaction they wanted, they could always count on frontman Freddie Mercury to change that. Taylor notes, “He was incredible. He could just shout, ‘Come on!’, and then everybody would get up…”

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