Classic Rock News

Todd Rundgren‘s long-delayed studio album Space Force, which features collaborations with an eclectic variety of artists, will finally be released October 14.

Space Force is a 12-track collection that, as previously reported, includes contributions from Cheap Trick‘s Rick Nielsen, Steve Vai, Thomas Dolby, Crowded House frontman Neil Finn, former King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew, Weezer‘s Rivers Cuomo, Sparks and The Roots.

The lead track, a collaboration with Belew titled “Puzzle,” has just been released as the latest advance single from the album.

Four other Space Force tracks were previously released — “Espionage,” featuring Iraqi-Canadian hip-hop artist Narcy; “Down with the Ship” with Cuomo; “Your Fandango” with Sparks; and “Godiva Girl” with The Roots.

Originally due out in early 2021, Space Force is a follow-up to Rundgren’s 2017 album White Knight, another star-studded collection of collaborations.

In a new Variety interview, Rundgren says Space Force differs from White Knight in that the new album’s tracks featured more input from his collaborators.

“One of the reasons why I did White Knight was to force myself into opening up the process to others, but I had only done it halfway because I was still coming up with almost all of the material,” Todd notes. “So I thought, let’s go the next step. Let’s start using other people’s song ideas as the basis of where the music should go.”

Space Force can be preordered now and will be available on CD, in multiple colored-vinyl options and via digital formats.

Meanwhile, Rundgren has one joint concert with Daryl Hall scheduled for October 1 in Brookville, New York. Then, starting October 6, he’ll head out on the Celebrating David Bowie tribute tour, which also features Belew and other musicians.

Here’s the full Space Force track list:

“Puzzle” — with Adrian Belew
“Down with the Ship” — with Rivers Cuomo
“Artist in Residence” — with Neil Finn
“Godiva Girl” — with The Roots
“Your Fandango” — with Sparks
“Someday” — with Davey Lane
“I’m Not Your Dog” — with Thomas Dolby
“Espionage” — with Narcy
“STFU” — with Rick Nielsen
“Head in the Ocean” — with Alfie
“I’m Leaving” — with The Lemon Twigs
“Eco Warrior Goddess” — with Steve Vai

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Bruce Springsteen will help his longtime friend Jann Wenner celebrate the release of the Rolling Stone magazine co-founder’s new memoir, Like a Rolling Stone, by taking part in a special interview event on September 13 at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.

At the event, Springsteen and Wenner will discuss the famous publisher’s deeply personal book, which follows his eventful life while looking at the changing landscape of music, politics and pop culture of his generation, as covered by Rolling Stone since its 1967 inception.

The memoir also features Wenner’s reflections on a wide variety of important music artists, including Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Bono and Springsteen.

In-person tickets for the Q&A session are already sold out, but the event also will be streamed live online, and tickets to the virtual presentation are available at 92ny.org. Everyone purchasing a ticket will receive a copy of Like a Rolling Stone.

“If you were young, alone and in the far lands of New Jersey, Rolling Stone was a dispatch from the front, carrying news of a bigger world and another life awaiting,” says Springsteen with regard to the book. “Like a Rolling Stone is a touchingly honest memoir from a man who recorded and shaped our times and of a grand life well lived. It is wonderfully deep and rewarding reading. I loved it.”

Like a Rolling Stone will be published on September 13 and can be preordered now.

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Dave Grohl made a surprise appearance at a Los Angeles charity concert Tuesday put together by director Judd Apatow in support of the Victims First organization.

According to the L.A. club Largo, which hosted the show, the Foo Fighters frontman joined Beck and Tenacious D to make “yacht-rock musical sound effects” during a cover of the Seals & Crofts song “Summer Breeze.” Also onstage were actor John C. Reilly and producer/frequent Grohl collaborator Greg Kurstin.

You can watch footage of the performance via the Largo Instagram.

The show marked one of Grohl’s first public appearances following the unexpected death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins in March. Grohl performed for the first time since Hawkins’ passing in June during Paul McCartney’s headlining Glastonbury set.

Grohl and the rest of Foo Fighters are holding a pair of Hawkins tribute concerts, taking place September 3 in London and September 27 in Los Angeles. As was announced Wednesday, the London concert will stream live via Paramount+ and MTV Brand YouTube channels.

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If you can’t make it to London’s Wembley Stadium to see the star-studded tribute concert for Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, you’ll be able to watch the entire thing on Paramount+.

The September 3 show will stream live on Paramount+ starting 11:30 a.m. ET and globally on MTV Brand YouTube channels. It’ll also be available on-demand that day on Paramount+.

Don’t have that streaming service? CBS TV will air an hour-long version of the concert that night at 9 p.m. ET. MTV will then air the one-hour special internationally, and follow that up with an extended two-hour special in September.

Meanwhile, both the London tribute and its U.S. counterpart, scheduled for September 27 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, have added more artists to their lineups.

The London concert has added Joe Walsh‘s pre-Eagles band James Gang, AC/DC‘s Brian Johnson, Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich, The Pretenders‘ Martin Chambers, Josh Freese, Kesha, Dave Grohl‘s daughter Violet, Blink-182‘s Travis Barker, Taylor’s son Shane and more to a lineup that already included Led Zeppelin‘s John Paul Jones, Rush‘s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, Queen‘s Brian May and Roger Taylor, Chrissie Hynde, The Police‘s Stewart Copeland, Nirvana‘s Krist Novoselic, ex-Oasis singer Liam Gallagher, Wolfgang Van Halen, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and others.

The U.S. tribute has added James Gang, Black Sabbath‘s Geezer Butler, Def Leppard‘s Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, ex-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, Ulrich Barker, Freese, Violet Grohl, Shane Hawkins and more to a bill that already featured Joan Jett, Heart‘s Nancy Wilson, KISS‘ Gene Simmons, Alanis Morissette, Miley Cyrus, Pink, and many of the same guests as the London show.

Foo Fighters will be headlining both concerts.

Hawkins died earlier this year in Colombia.

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If you can’t make it to London’s Wembley Stadium to see the star-studded Taylor Hawkins tribute concert, you’ll be able to watch the entire thing on Paramount+.

The September 3 show will stream live on Paramount+ starting 11:30am EDT and globally on MTV Brand YouTube Channels.  It’ll also be available on-demand that day on Paramount+. 

Don’t have that streaming service? CBS TV will air an hour-long version of the concert that night a 9 p.m EDT. MTV will then air the one-hour special internationally, and follow that up with an extended two-hour special in September.

The London tribute to the late Foo Fighters drummer, who died earlier this year in Colombia, has added Travis Barker, The Pretenders‘ Martin Chambers, Josh Freese, Violet Grohl, AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, Justin Hawkins of The Darkness, Kesha, The Struts‘ Luke Spiller, Lars Ulrich and Taylor’s son, Shane, to a lineup that includes Chrissie Hynde, John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Rush‘s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, Queen‘s Brian May and Roger Taylor, Krist Novoselic, Josh Homme, Liam Gallagher, The Police‘s Stewart Copeland, Nile Rodgers of Chic, Wolfgang Van Halen, Hawkins’ side project Chevy Metal, Nandi Bushell, Chris Chaney, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and more.

Meanwhile, the U.S. tribute concert, scheduled for September 27 at the Kia Forum in LA, has added Sebastian Bach, Barker, Black Sabbath‘s Geezer Butler, Def Leppard‘s Phil Collen and Joe Elliott, Freese, Violet Grohl, Ulrich and Taylor’s son Shane to a bill that already included Miley Cyrus, Pink, Gene Simmons, Chad Smith, Heart’s Nancy Wilson, Joan Jett, Alanis Morissette and many of the same guests as the London show.

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As The Scorpions gear up to launch the 2022 North American leg of their Rock Believer World Tour this Sunday in Toronto, the veteran German hard rockers have offered up a couple of goodies for fans.

First, the band has released a new song titled “Hammersmith” that’s available now as a digital download and via streaming services. The heavy-pounding tune finds The Scorpions paying tribute to the famous London venue the Hammersmith Odeon, while also expressing how enthusiastic they are to keep rocking their fans.

“The song takes us back to a time when we played in the smallest clubs, just dreaming about being able to perform in the Temple of Rock, the Hammersmith Odeon,” explains frontman Klaus Meine, who wrote the tune’s lyrics.

Meanwhile, The Scorpions have also just debuted an “official fan video” for the title track of their latest album, Rock Believer, which was released in February.

The clip features footage that Scorpions fans from around the world submitted, showing them rocking out and singing along to the song, and sharing their love for the group, mixed with video of the band performing the song.

The Rock Believer tour features 24 dates and is mapped out through an October 21 concert in Las Vegas. Whitesnake had originally been slated to open most of the shows, but had to drop off the trek recently because frontman David Coverdale has been battling a persistent respiratory infection. All-female Swedish rock band Thundermother will serve as The Scorpions’ support act throughout most of the tour.

Check out The Scorpions’ full schedule at The-Scorpions.com.

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Status Quo will release a new compilation titled Quo’ing In — The Best of the Noughties that focuses on the veteran English rock band’s career since 2000.

The retrospective, which will be released on November 25, will be available as a two-CD set, as a limited-edition three-CD deluxe package and via digital formats.

Quo’ing In features key tracks from most of the albums that Status Quo has released since 2000, including selections from 2002’s Heavy Traffic, 2005’s The Party Ain’t Over Yet, 2007’s In Search of the Fourth Chord, 2011’s Quid Pro Quo, 2013’s Bula Quo!, 2014’s Aquostic: Stripped Bare, 2016’s Aquostic II: That’s a Fact! and 2019’s Backbone.

The compilation also includes some non-album singles, new mixes of older tunes, collaborations and newly recorded versions of three of Status Quo’s major U.K. hits from the 1970s — “Caroline,” “Paper Plane” and the John Fogerty cover “Rockin’ All Over the World.”

The collaborations featured on the album are a rendition of Buddy Holly‘s “Raining in My Heart” featuring Queen‘s Brian May and a duet with The Beach Boys on that group’s classic “Fun Fun Fun.”

The new version of “Caroline” is available now as an advance digital track.

The three-CD version of Quo’ing In features a bonus disc that includes previously unreleased live performances that were recorded in June 2008 and mixed and mastered this year.

“This was a time of change and the band that recorded Heavy Traffic is different to the one that laid down Backbone,” notes frontman Francis Rossi about the period covered in the compilation, “but what did not change was the passion, energy, and desire to build on what had gone before.”

You can preorder Quo’ing In now. Here’s the track list:

CD 1: Quo’ing In

“Backbone” (Out Out Quoin’ Mix 2022)*
“Looking Out for Caroline”
“Two Way Traffic”
“In the Army Now” (Studio Version 2010)
“Beginning of the End”
“Round and Round”
“Rock ‘n’ Roll ‘n’ You”
“Raining in My Heart” (with Brian May)
“Liberty Lane”
“Jam Side Down”
“Running Inside My Head”
“Electric Arena”
“Twenty Wild Horses”
“Blues and Rhythm”
“Gotta Get Up and Go”
“The Way It Goes”
“Bula Bula Quo – Kua Ni Lega”

CD 2: Quo’ing Out
“Caroline” (2022 Studio Version)**
“Paper Plane” (2022 Studio Version)**
“Rockin’ All Over the World” (2022 Studio Version)**
“Face the Music”*** (7” Single A-Side)
“Cut Me Some Slack” (Out Out Quoin’ Mix 2022)*
“The Party Ain’t Over Yet” (Single Mix)***
“Fun Fun Fun” (with The Beach Boys)
“Pictures of Matchstick Men” (Aquostic Studio Version)
“That’s a Fact” (Aquostic Studio Version)
“I’m Not Ready”***
“Tilting at the Mill”***
“I’m Watching Over You”***
“Mortified”***
“Temporary Friend”***
“I’ll Never Get Over You”***
“Live Medley”***
“Down Down” (Aquostic Studio Version)
“It’s Christmas Time”***

CD 3: Quo’ing Live (previously unreleased; only available with deluxe digipak edition)

“The Wanderer”
“Rain”
“Don’t Waste My Time”
“Don’t Drive My Car”
“Hold You Back”
“Creeping Up on You”
“Paper Plane”
“Living on an Island”
“Roll Over Lay Down”
“Rock and Roll Music/Bye Bye Johnny”

* = new 2022 mix
** = new 2022 studio recording
*** = rare recording previously only available as single or on limited-edition release

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Over the last few days, Incubus has postponed a trio of shows due to “unforeseen circumstances.” Now, frontman Brandon Boyd has revealed that his injured back is to blame.

In a video posted to his Instagram Story, Boyd shares, “Fortunately nobody has COVID, everyone is healthy and happy. I just threw my back out a few days ago and I’ve never had an experience like this before.”

“I couldn’t, as of the past few days, really do anything, other than just sort of lay there and wait,” he continues. “Today I could take some deep breaths, I’m definitely heading in the right direction. So we’re gonna be back in the saddle, so to speak, sooner than later.”

Boyd also thanks Incubus’ “amazing listeners and supporters,” and apologizes for “any inconvenience this may have caused for you guys coming to the shows.”

Incubus has been on tour with Sublime with Rome. The affected shows include last Saturday and Sunday’s scheduled stops in Maryland Heights, Missouri, and Tinley Park, Illinois, respectively, as well as Tuesday’s date in Rogers, Arkansas.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers are teasing the first preview of the band’s upcoming album, Return of the Dream Canteen.

The “Californication” rockers will release a new track called “Tippa My Tongue” this Friday, August 19. You can check out a preview of the song, and its accompanying video, now via RHCP’s Twitter.

Return of the Dream Canteen, due out October 14, is the second new Chili Peppers record of 2022, following April’s Unlimited Love.

Red Hot Chili Peppers are currently on a U.S. stadium tour, which continues Wednesday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The headlining trek will conclude in September, followed by festival sets at Louder Than Life and Austin City Limits.

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Forty-five years ago today, August 16, the band that became INXS, then known as The Farriss Brothers, played their very first gig at a house party in Sydney suburb of Whale Beach. In commemoration of the milestone, today will be celebrated as INXS Day by the veteran Australian rockers, in association with Petrol Records, Universal Music Group and Rhino Records.

The festivities will “kick” off at 5 p.m. ET with an exclusive hour-long TikTok livestream celebrating the 35th anniversary of INXS’ classic 1987 album Kick that will include a track-by-track look at the record, along with interviews with members of the band and with the group’s their executive music producer, Giles Martin.

Also as part of INXS Day, the band is announcing the release of its 2011 The Very Best compilation in the high-res Dolby Atmos format.

In addition, INXS will release a deluxe digital box-set version of its 1982 debut album, Shabooh Shoobah, as well as two special vinyl editions of the record, this October in honor of its 40th anniversary. A limited-edition clear-vinyl reissue of Shabooh Shoobah can be preordered now at the official INXS online store.

INXS also will mark the 30th anniversary of their 1992 studio effort Welcome to Wherever You Are throughout August by debuting HD versions of music videos for five songs from the album — “Heaven Sent,” “Baby Don’t Cry,” “Taste It,” “Beautiful Girl” and “Not Enough Time” — at the band’s official YouTube channel.

For more details about INXS Day, visit INXS.com.

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