Classic Rock News

In September 2020, Todd Rundgren announced that he would be releasing a new album titled Space Force in early 2021 featuring collaborations with an eclectic variety of artists, similar to his most recent studio effort, 2017’s White Knight.

However, Space Force has yet to be released, and Rundgren recently admitted to ABC Audio that there was no “hard date” for the album’s arrival, even though the project has “been done for a year.”

The 73-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer explained that the delay was due to supply chain issues involving vinyl, noting that his label, Cleopatra Records, “insists on putting out all formats at once.”

Rundgren added with a laugh, “[T]hey’re just waiting for Adele to stop hogging up all the vinyl [for her hit album 30], and then maybe we’ll have a release date.”

Todd has already released four advance tracks from Space Force — “Espionage,” featuring Iraqi-Canadian hip-hop artist Narcy; “Down with the Ship” with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo; “Your Fandango” with eclectic sibling duo Sparks; and “Godiva Girl” with The Roots.

Rundgren revealed that other guest artists on Space Force include Cheap Trick‘s Rick Nielsen, Steve Vai, Thomas Dolby, Crowded House frontman Neil Finn, former King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew, and indie-rock group The Lemon Twigs.

Meanwhile, Todd has a busy upcoming U.S. tour schedule. From May 12 to May 22, he’ll be opening for Daryl Hall on a run of six concert. From May 24 to June 26, he’ll be taking part in a new series of dates on the “It Was Fifty Years Ago Today” Beatles tribute trek that also features Joey Molland, Denny Laine, Christopher Cross and Jason Scheff. Then, from June 30 to July 30, Rundgren will be hafining his own Unpredictable Tour.

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A previously unreleased soundtrack album that Peter Gabriel recorded in 1981 for a short film called Undecurrents, by renowned British painter Graham Dean, will be included in a multimedia box set focusing on Dean’s work titled Strange Beauty that’s due out on June 30.

The Deluxe Edition of the Strange Beauty collection features a book of Dean’s artwork, a DVD boasting films and music videos that Graham directed, and cassette of the Undercurrents soundtrack, marking the recording’s first official release.

Limited to only 50 copies and priced at $600, the deluxe box set also comes with a certificate signed by Dean and two pieces of his artwork.

The Undercurrents is a 14-minute instrumental piece that Peter composed and recorded to accompany a short film Dean made for an exhibition of his work. The flick, which combines images and film footage that Dean then manipulated, also was shown at the time on a BBC arts television program called Riverside.

Graham recalls that Peter agreed to take part in the project in exchange for a painting, and the recording was done over the course of an all-night session.

The original multi-track tapes of the soundtrack were recently rediscovered by Gabriel’s Real World record label and the recording was newly remixed last year.

The DVD featured in the Strange Beauty box set includes the Undercurrents film, as well as music videos Dean shot in 1993 for two of Gabriel’s classic songs: “Solsbury Hill” and “In Your Eyes.” The disc also includes two other short films by Dean that feature music by Gabriel’s longtime guitarist David Rhodes.

Strange Beauty also is available as a signed hardback edition and an unsigned soft-cover version, both of which feature just the book and the DVD.

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Van Morrison has debuted a third advance track from his forthcoming 43rd studio effort, What’s It Gonna Take? — a soulful, violin-driven tune titled “Dangerous.”

“Dangerous,” which is the new album’s lead track, is available now via digital formats. The song features Morrison apparently addressing the negative reaction he’s received after voicing his views criticizing the U.K.’s COVID-19 response, particularly the effect that closing music venues has had on musicians’ ability to support themselves financially.

“Somebody said I was dangerous/ I said something bad, it had to be good,” Morrison sings. “Well there must be somebody looking, seeing I’m close to it/ Maybe I’m getting close to the truth.”

What’s It Gonna Take? will be released on May 20, and can be pre-ordered now. The 15-track collection will be the eighth studio effort that the 76-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has issued in the past six years. The album will be available on CD, as a two-LP set pressed on either black vinyl or colored vinyl, as a digital download and via streaming services.

According to a press statement, the songs on What’s It Gonna Take? reflect Morrison’s “indefatigable drive to record and perform live in front of audiences.”

Prior to “Dangerous,” Morrison released the advance tracks “Pretending” and “Nervous Breakdown.”

Van currently on tour in the U.S., with his next performance is scheduled for Friday night at the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee. Visit VanMorrison.com to check out his full tour itinerary.

Here’s the full track list of What’s It Gonna Take?:

“Dangerous”
“What’s It Gonna Take?”
“Fighting Back Is the New Normal”
“Fodder for the Masses”
“Can’t Go On This Way”
“Sometimes It’s Just Blah Blah Blah”
“Money from America”
“Not Seeking Approval”
“Damage and Recovery”
“Nervous Breakdown”
“Absolutely Positively the Most”
“I Ain’t No Celebrity”
“Stage Name”
“Fear and Self-Loathing in Las Vegas”
“Pretending”

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Following the recent release of the deluxe reissue of his second solo album, 1998’s Another World, Queen guitarist Brian May has debuted a new music video for the record’s title track at his official YouTube channel.

The clip was shot recently at various locations in the Canary Islands, where Brian says he feels “closest to Heaven.”

May originally wrote “Another World” for the Gwyneth Paltrow film Sliding Doors, but the song wasn’t used in the movie because of contractual issues. The tune was inspired by the film’s plot, which looks at how someone’s life might change if one small incident happens differently.

Brian explains that “Another World” “is all about how things might be in a parallel universe.” He admits that he “was kind of heartbroken” about the song not being used in the movie, but notes that “it became the pivot around which my album revolved.”

May says among the sites he visited for the “Another World” video were “the IAC observatories of Tenerife, and La Palma, where the biggest telescope in the world sits… [and] the beautiful small island of El Hierro, where lives the tree that adorns the front cover of this album.”

The Canary Islands hold great sentimental value to Brian, because, prior to joining Queen, he studied astronomy at the Observatorio El Teide in Tenerife. He later completed his PhD degree and was awarded a doctorate in astrophysics in 2007.

Reflecting on his Canary Islands visit, May says, “This beautiful place above the clouds is where I did the observing work for my PhD. And this is where I used to steal outside under the stars, with a small acoustic guitar, and strum away and sing, and, I guess, commune with the Cosmos!”

The Another World reissue is available now in multiple formats.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ headlining performance at the New Orleans Jazz Fest this weekend will be a “celebration” of late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

“We’re going to play our hearts out,” drummer Chad Smith tells Billboard.

The Peppers joined the Jazz Fest lineup in place of Foo Fighters, who canceled all of their upcoming tour dates following Hawkins’ unexpected death on March 25.

“We’re taking Alison, [Hawkins’] wife, with us and it’s going to be a celebration,” Smith says. “That’s what she wants. She doesn’t want it to be anything other than, ‘Let’s celebrate music, let’s celebrate our friends, let’s celebrate Taylor. This is what he would want and he would be very happy that you guys are playing and he would want it be nothing but a positive experience.'”

Smith adds, “So we’re going to do all that and she’s going to be part of that and I’m very honored that we can do that with her.”

As previously reported, Nine Inch Nails will be replacing Foo Fighters at the Boston Calling and Welcome to Rockville festivals, while Arcade Fire will be stepping in for them at Osheaga. Arcade Fire’s Win Butler has said that his band will be dedicating their set to Hawkins.

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Paul McCartney kicked of his 2022 Got Back tour last night in Spokane, Washington, with a marathon set that saw him celebrating the legacy of his famous former band The Beatles, while also digging into his solo catalog.

Rolling Stone reports that a highlight of the show was McCartney singing a virtual duet with the late John Lennon on the Fab Four’s “I’ve Got a Feeling,” using Lennon’s isolated vocals from The Beatles’ famous 1969 rooftop concert at Apple Records’ London headquarters.

Sir Paul explained to the crowd that Peter Jackson, director of The Beatles Get Back documentary miniseries, told him, “‘We can extract John’s voice [from the concert footage] and he can sing with you.’ I said, ‘Oh, yeah!'”

According to Setlist.fm, McCartney also dusted off a few Beatles songs he hadn’t played live for many years, including “Getting Better” and “You Never Give Me Your Money,” both of which he hadn’t performed in concert since 2003. He also played “She Came In Through the Bathroom Window” for the first time since 2008.

The rock legend, who turns 80 in June, also showcased some newer material in his set, performing “Woman and Wives” from his latest solo album, 2020’s McCartney III, for the first time ever live, and also playing two songs from his 2018 album Egypt Station — “Come On to Me” and “Fuh You.”

The Spokane show was Paul first concert since July 2019, and, according to Rolling Stone, he shared his excitement about returin to the stage while also referencing the name of his tour.

“Well, we said we’d come back, and we got back,” he declared. “And believe me, we’re really happy to be back.”

McCartney’s Got Back tour continues Monday in Seattle.

Here’s the Spokane show’s full set list:

“Can’t Buy Me Love”
“Junior’s Farm”
“Letting Go”
“Got to Get You into My Life”
“Come On to Me”
“Let Me Roll It”
“Getting Better”
“Women and Wives”
“My Valentine”
“1985”
“Maybe I’m Amazed”
“I’ve Just Seen a Face”
“In Spite of All The Danger”
“Love Me Do”
“Dance Tonight”
“Blackbird”
“Here Today”
“Queenie Eye”
“Lady Madonna”
“Fuh You”
“Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite”
“Something”
“Ob La Di Ob La Da”
“You Never Give Me Your Money”
“She Came in Through the Bathroom Window”
“Get Back”
“Band on the Run
“Let It Be”
“Live and Let Die”
“Hey Jude”

Encore:
“I’ve Got a Feeling”
“Birthday”
“Helter Skelter”
“Golden Slumbers”/”Carry That Weight”/”The End”

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A new archival Creedence Clearwater Revival documentary focusing on a historic April 1970 concert that the band played at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall us currently in production.

The movie, titled Travelin’ Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall, is narrated by Oscar-winning actor and CCR fan Jeff Bridges, and directed by Grammy-winning filmmaker Bob Smeaton, whose credits include The Beatles Anthology series and Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsies.

Travelin’ Band will be the first movie ever to feature footage of a full concert by Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s classic lineup of John Fogerty, Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook and Doug “Cosmo” Clifford.

The film follows the band from their early years in their hometown of El Cerrito, California, to their emergence as one of the most popular rock groups in the world, performing at Woodstock and selling out the Oakland Coliseum before heading overseas for a European trek that included the Royal Albert Hall show.

Travelin’ Band offers a treasure trove of rare and unseen footage, including recently rediscovered 16-mm film of the concert, behind-the-scenes clip of the band members, and interviews from the archives of the Fantasy Records label. The movie also includes what is thought to be the earliest known footage of the group playing live.

Audio of the concert has been mixed and restored using the original multi-track tapes by Beatles reissue producer Giles Martin and his studio collaborator Sam Okell.

Smeaton says that while working on the film, “I was able to see and hear why [CCR] are worthy of their status as one of the greatest bands of all time. I knew they were good, I never knew they were that good.”

Adds Bridges, “What a band! Love listening to ’em, love playin’ Fogerty’s tunes.”

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Heart frontwoman Ann Wilson‘s latest solo album, Fierce Bliss, gets its release today.

The 11-track collection was recorded during the last couple of years at studios in Nashville, Seattle, Connecticut and Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

The album features mostly new originals co-written by Wilson, plus covers of Queen‘s “Love of My Life,” Robin Trower‘s “Bridge of Sighs” and Eurythmics‘ “Missionary Man.” “Love of My Life” is a duet with country star Vince Gill, while acclaimed blues-rock guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd plays on “Bridge of Sighs” and “Missionary Man.”

Wilson tells ABC Audio that the Gill duet came about “all of a sudden” while he was visiting Muscle Shoals during one of her sessions there.

“It was so cool,” notes Ann. “It wasn’t even forced. It was just something that happened. It was great.”

As for her “Bridge of Sighs” cover, Wilson says, “[I]t’s maybe my favorite track on the record right now. Kenny Wayne just really succeeded with that one. He blew me away. It’s a blues song incarnate.”

Wilson recorded most of the tracks with a group of “go-to, top flight session musicians [from] Nashville.” She was so happy with the musicians’ spontaneous creativity and her chemistry with them, she hired them as her backing band, christening them The Amazing Dawgs.

As Ann recalls, “[T]here was a moment where all of a sudden we all looked at each other and went, ‘You know, this is really cool. This is more than just a sideman thing. These guys are amazing.”

Wilson also recorded two tracks with Gov’t Mule — “Gladiator” and “Angel’s Blues” — which she co-wrote with the jam band’s frontman, Warren Haynes.

“It was so great working with Gov’t Mule,” Ann says. “They just really get it.”

Here’s the full Fierce Bliss track list:

“Greed”
“Black Wing”
“Bridge of Sighs”
“Fighten for Life”
“Love of My Life” — featuring Vince Gill
“Missionary Man”
“Gladiator”
“Forget Her”
“A Moment in Heaven”
“Angel’s Blues”*
“As the World Turns”

* = on CD and digital formats only.

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The Who‘s Pete Townshend and Santana guitarist Carlos Santana, are part of the lineup of the Audible audio service’s next Words + Music series, a program that combines music and storytelling.

The new series of programs kicks off on May 6 with Pete Townshend: Somebody Saved Me, a two-hour presentation that features the legendary Who guitarist/songwriter discussing the period between the 1978 of Who drummer Keith Moon and the 2002 passing of bassist John Entwistle.

In the episode, the 76-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer reflects on the music he made with The Who and as a solo artist, his various other creative projects and endeavors, his personal relationships and more. The program also features newly recorded versions of several tunes from Pete’s catalog, including “Let My Love Open the Door,” “Slit Skirts,” “You Better You Bet,” and “Eminence Front.”

A one-minute preview clip from Somebody Saved Me has been posted on Audible’s SoundCloud page, in which Townshend notes that episode will look at a time “when The Who was at its most popular, and when The Who broke up…a time when I made solo records and worked on projects of all kinds outside rock ‘n’ roll.”

He adds, “It was a time that The Who suffered great loss, and then came together again. You could say that in this Words + Music project I’m going to focus on my ‘Middle Ages.'”

Word + Music episodes are available for free at Audible.com. The premiere date for Santana’s Words + Music episode hasn’t been announced yet.

Other artists featured in upcoming Word + Music presentations include Beck, comedy rock duo Tenacious D, Mariah Carey and Aimee Mann.

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Metallica frontman James Hetfield has teamed up with Ernie Ball to create his own line of signature guitar strings.

Dubbed Papa Het’s Hardwired Master Core, the strings come in a unique 11-50 gauge combo, which Ernie Ball calls “ideal for [Hetfield’s] aggressive style and technique.”

“It’s only taken 40 years for me to have my own strings!” Hetfield laughs in a video making the announcement.

You can order your Papa Het strings, which come in a tin box designed with artwork by Hetfield, now via Metallica.com. They’ll be available through Ernie Ball retailers beginning May 10.

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