Classic Rock News

Elton John may finally get his EGOT.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s Disney+ concert special, Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium, just earned an Emmy nod for Outstanding Variety Special Live.

The special was a live telecast of Elton’s final North American stop on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which finally came to an end on Saturday, July 8, in Stockholm, Sweden. 

“It’s an honour for my Special to be recognized by the Academy,” Elton shared on Instagram. “My final Dodger Stadium performance was bittersweet and an evening that I will never forget.” He added that his production team and Disney+ “went above and beyond to create a magical production, not only for me as I said goodbye to North America, but for my fans all over the world to enjoy for years to come!!”

A win in the category will add Elton to the elusive group of entertainers who’ve won an Emmy, Grammy, Tony and Oscar. He’s won five Grammys, two Academy Awards and one Tony over the course of his career.

Elton does have stiff Emmy competition. Also nominated in the category are The Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Starring Rihanna, Chris Rock: Selective Outrage, the Oscars and the 75th Annual Tony Awards.

His special isn’t the only music-related nomination this year: The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert and Bono & The Edge: A Sort Of Homecoming With Dave Letterman will compete against Elton’s special for Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special. Plus, the David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream was recognized with a nom for Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Nonfiction Program (Single or Multi-Camera).

The 75th annual Emmy Awards will air September 18 on Fox.

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The Baseball Project is marking an unusual moment in baseball history. 

The supergroup, featuring R.E.M.’s Mike Mills and Peter Buck, The Minus 5‘s Scott McCaughey, The Dream Syndicate’s Steve Wynn and Filthy Friends‘ Linda Pitmon, just dropped the video for their song “Disco Demolition” to mark the 44th anniversary of Disco Demolition night, which took place July 12, 1979, at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

For those unaware, during Disco Demolition night, the Chicago White Sox invited fans to bring in their disco records, and amid the break between games of a double header, they blew them up on the field. Things didn’t go as planned, and fans soon stormed the now-ruined field, forcing the cancellation of the second game, which the White Sox had to forfeit.

“Disco Demolition” is the latest track off the band’s recently released fourth album, Grand Salami Time! The Baseball Project is due to hit the road later this summer, with the trek kicking off August 8 in Birmingham, Alabama. A complete list of dates can be found at baseballproject.net.

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A decade of Tom Waits music is getting reissued this fall.

Island/UMe is set to release newly remastered editions of the albums Waits released on Island Records between 1983 and 1993.

The reissue series, overseen by Waits and his songwriting partner Kathleen Brennan, will kick off September 1 with 1983’s Swordfishtrombones, marking the 40th anniversary of the release, as well as 1985’s Rain Dogs and 1987’s Franks Wild Years. That will be followed on October 6 by 1992’s Bone Machine and 1993’s The Black Rider.

All five albums are already available to stream with newly remastered audio from the original tapes. The physical releases will be on both CD and vinyl. In addition to 180 gram black vinyl, they’ll also be released on limited edition colored vinyl, with Swordfishtrombones on canary yellow, Rain Dogs on opaque sky blue, Franks Wild Years on opaque gold, The Black Rider on opaque apple and Bone Machine on translucent milky vinyl.

For The Black Rider and Bone Machine, this will mark the first time they are being released on vinyl outside of Europe. The others have been out of print since their release.

All reissues are available for preorder now. 

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On This Day, July 12, 1962…

The Rolling Stones – billed as The Rollin’ Stones – played their first live show at London’s Marquee Club.

At the time, the band consisted of Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, pianist Ian Stewart and bassist Dick Taylor; the drummer’s identity is disputed.

In December of that year, Bill Wyman replaced Taylor as bassist, and in February 1963, Charlie Watts joined the band on drums.

The Stones went on to become one of the most successful bands of all times, selling an estimated 200 million records. They also became one of the most successful touring bands, with 1997/1998’s Bridges to Babylon, 1994-1995’s Voodoo Lounge and 2005-2007’s A Bigger Bang among the highest grossing tours of all time.

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Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett has announced a new solo album called Lost at Sea.

The record arrives October 20 and marks Shiflett’s third solo outing.

“We made a guitar-centric record that encapsulates everything I’ve been listening to over the years, from the most country songs I’ve ever recorded to punk rock and even songs that sound like a California version of The Clash,” Shiflett says.

Lost at Sea features the previously released songs “Black Top White Lines” and “Dead and Gone.” You can listen to a third cut titled “Damage Control” now via digital outlets.

Shiflett is currently on tour with Foo Fighters supporting their latest album, But Here We Are.

Here’s the Lost at Sea track list:

“Dead and Gone”
“Overboard”
“Black Top White Lines”
“Damage Control”
“Weigh You Down”
“Burn the House Down”
“Where’d Everybody Go?”
“I Don’t Trust My Memories Anymore”
“Carrie Midnight Texas Queen”
“Parties”

(Video contains uncensored profanity.) 

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The late Christine McVie is being remembered on what would have been her 80th birthday.

To mark the milestone, her former Fleetwood Mac bandmate Mick Fleetwood has released an instrumental version of the classic “Songbird,” which she wrote,  featuring ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro.  The new take features a dedication by Mick at the end, “As the songbird sings, now from the heavens, to you Christine, I wish you all the love in the world. But, most of all, I wish it from myself.”

“Here we are thinking of you on your heavenly 80th birthday! For me, although missing you on this celebration of your 80th birthday…I like so many have the greatest memories in plenty! And most of all, your songs are lighting up the world on this your birthday,” Mick wrote on Instagram, adding, “You are loved and dearly missed.”

But that’s not the only way McVie’s being remembered. Rhino just announced plans to release remastered editions of two of her solo albums to celebrate.

First, digital and Dolby Atmos versions of her 2004 album In the Meantime has been released to streaming services. The new version was mixed by her nephew Dan Perfect and features the previously unreleased track “Little Darlin’.”

In addition, reissues of In the Meantime and her 1984 self-titled solo album will be released on November 3. Christine McVie will be released on CD and LP, with a cola-bottle clear vinyl version sold exclusively at Barnes & Noble. In the Meantime will come out on CD and as a two-LP set, that will feature a “songbird” etching.

Both albums are available for preorder now.

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While lots of artists can appreciate their rock star contemporaries, apparently members of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones didn’t quite understand the appeal of Led Zeppelin back in the day.

Producer/engineer Glyn Johns, who worked on both The Beatles’ Let It Be and Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin I, reveals on Rolling Stone’s Music Now podcast that George Harrison and Mick Jagger were not Zeppelin fans.

“When Zeppelin set up and started to play, I was literally pinned to the back wall by what I heard. It was nothing like what I expected,” Johns says. “But I remember taking the record and playing it to George Harrison on the way home from a Beatles session, and he didn’t like it at all.” 

He adds, “And I remember playing it to Mick Jagger, because I thought they should go on the Rock and Roll Circus [TV special]. And Mick didn’t like it at all either.”

One artist Johns is a big fan of is Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, sharing, “I don’t think he gets nearly enough credit to this day.”

“He really is quite remarkable … His technical ability is average, but his feel exceptional,” Johns says. “Also, what he does, where he puts what he plays is quite remarkable. And without him, they would not have been the same band. I don’t care what anybody says.”

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Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson has teamed up with Epiphone, and the result is a sleek new guitar: the Epiphone Les Paul Custom Axcess in Ruby.

“This is a stunning guitar, it’s beautiful and it sounds great to play,” Lifeson shares. “You can create a lot of different tones and sounds, and a player at any level can make use of this guitar.” He adds, “Playing guitar takes you to that place in your heart and your soul to express yourself creatively and to just have fun, it is just fun to play, it always has been and always will be.”

The guitar is sold in both left- and right-handed versions, and features a mahogany body, finished in a Ruby gloss with white top binding and an ebony fretboard.

The Epiphone Les Paul Custom Axcess in Ruby is available to order now and costs just under $1,300.

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The Moody Blues’ John Lodge has been touring the U.S. performing the band’s classic album Days of Future Passed, and now the rocker is releasing an album of his performance. 

Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn will feature Lodge performing the 1967 album in its entirety, along with a special recorded appearance by the late Graeme Edge and performances by Jon Davison of Yes. 

“November 2023 will be the 56th anniversary of Days of Future Passed. It’s incredible to look back on this album that changed my life, and that still has so much impact today on so many, and I felt that it deserved celebrating, and so I began rehearsals in 2021/2022 to bring this celebration to life on stage,” Lodge shares. “After the final rehearsals for the concert, I realized I should capture this new moment in time, although a reflection of the past, forever, by going into the studio and recording the album, Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn.”

Lodge says he hopes the new recording will “bring a new generation of listeners” to the album and that others will “rediscover the original,” as well.

Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn will be released as a special fan club-only CD and will be sold on the upcoming leg of Lodge’s tour, starting with his show on July 18 in Rockford, Illinois. A complete list of tour dates can be found at johnlodge.com.

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David Lee Roth is channeling Napoleon Dynamite for his latest video.

The former Van Halen frontman just posted a video of him dancing to Jamiroquai’s “Canned Heat,” the same song featured in Jon Heder’s climactic dance scene in the 2004 indie hit.

Roth, dressed in overalls and a cap, shows off his best moves in the clip, slipping and sliding across the dance floor. Adding to his Napoleon Dynamite salute, he captioned the video “Vote for Pedro,” the line also made famous in the movie. 

This is far from the first bizarre video Roth has shared. In May he posted a video of him dancing to Annie Lennox’s “Little Bird,” prancing around with a flag, a cane, a sword, a trombone, bullhorns and cymbals.

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