Classic Rock News

Neil Young will release three new installments of his Official Bootleg Series of archival live albums on May 6, all solo acoustic performances dating back to the early 1970s.

The albums are Royce Hall 1971, which documents a show that took place on January 30 of that year on the UCLA campus; Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 1971, which captures a February 1 concert at the famed Los Angeles venue that brought Young’s 1971 tour to a close; and Citizen Kane Jr. Blues (Live at The Bottom Line 1974), featuring a surprise club gig that Neil played in New York City on May 16, 1974.

The albums will be released on CD and via digital formats on May 6, while vinyl LP versions will follow on June 3. Fans who pre-order CD or vinyl versions of the releases will also receive a high-res digital download of the records on May 6.

The Royce Hall 1971 and Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 1971 albums were mixed from the original analog master tapes, while Citizen Kane Jr. Blues has been restored and remastered from the best available source recording.

One performance from each album has been made available as an advance digital track: “Journey Through the Past” from Royce Hall; “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” from Dorothy Chandler Pavilion; and “Revolution Blues,” from Citizen Kane Jr. Blues.

Young launched his Official Bootleg Series in October 2021 with Carnegie Hall 1970.

Here’s the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 1971 track list:

“On the Way Home”
“Tell Me Why”
“Old Man”
“Journey Through the Past”
“Cowgirl in the Sand”
“Heart of Gold”
“A Man Needs a Maid”
“Sugar Mountain”
“Don’t Let It Bring You Down”
“Love in Mind”
“The Needle and the Damage Done”
“Ohio”
“See the Sky About to Rain”
“I Am a Child”
“Dance Dance Dance”

Here’s the Royce Hall 1971 track list:

“On the Way Home”
“Tell Me Why”
“Old Man”
“Journey Through the Past”
“Cowgirl in the Sand”
“Heart of Gold”
“A Man Needs a Maid”
“See the Sky About to Rain”
“Sugar Mountain”
“Don’t Let It Bring You Down”
“Love in Mind”
“The Needle and the Damage Done”
“Ohio”
“Down by the River”
“Dance Dance Dance”
“I Am a Child”

And here’s the Citizen Kane Jr. Blues (Live at The Bottom Line) track list:

“Pushed It Over the End”
“Long May You Run”
“Greensleeves”
“Ambulance Blues”
“Helpless”
“Revolution Blues”
“On the Beach”
“Roll Another Number (For the Road)”
“Motion Pictures”
“Pardon My Heart”
“Dance Dance Dance”

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Slash and his solo band Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators have announced an upcoming streaming concert, Live from Boston.

The virtual show was filmed during the group’s performance at Beantown’s House of Blues venue earlier this month. You can watch it from the comfort of your own home via the streaming platform Veeps beginning April 15 at 3 p.m. ET.

Tickets are on sale now via SMKC.Veeps.com.

Slash and the Conspirators have been touring the U.S. over the last couple months in support of their new album, 4, which dropped in February. The outing concludes this Saturday in Orlando, Florida.

4, the aptly titled fourth Conspirators album, features the lead single “The River Is Rising.” The record’s next single will be the track “April Fool.”

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Def Leppard has debuted a music video for “Kick,” the recently released first single from the band’s forthcoming 12th studio album, Diamond Star Halos, which is due out May 27.

The clip features the British rockers playing the catchy anthem inside a “Wall of Death” motorcycle carnival ride for an audience of flamboyantly dressed circus performers and other glammed-out misfits. You can watch the video now on Def Leppard’s official YouTube channel.

As previously reported, Diamond Star Halos is a 15-track collection that’s the band’s first album of new original tunes since 2015’s self-titled effort. You can pre-order it now as a deluxe package, a two-LP set and digitally, among other configurations.

Diamond Star Halos includes two duets with acclaimed country/bluegrass artist and longtime Def Leppard fan Alison Krauss — “This Guitar” and “Lifeless.” In addition, famed David Bowie pianist Mike Garson plays on two songs — “Goodbye for Good This Time” and “Angels (Can’t Help You Now).”

The album was recorded remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, with frontman Joe Elliott laying down his vocals in Ireland, bassist Rick Savage recording his parts in the U.K., and guitarists Phil Collen and Viv Campbell and drummer Rick Allen recording their contributions in the U.S.

Diamond Star Halos will arrive in advance of Def Lepard’s 36-city Stadium Tour of North America with Mötley Crüe, Poison and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. The trek gets underway June 16 in Atlanta, and is mapped out through a September 9 concert in Las Vegas.

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Back in 1985, as the U.S. and the Soviet Union were in the grip of the Cold War, and the nuclear threat was looming, Sting recorded the song “Russians,” in which he sang, “What might save us, me and you/is if the Russians love their children too.”  Sadly, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the message is relevant once again, which is why he’s released a new charity version of the song.

Profits from “Russians (Guitar/Cello version)” will go to HelpUkraine.center, a volunteer storage center set up by Ukrainian business owners to receive humanitarian and medical aid from all over the world.  It accepts donations of goods, as well as money to purchase products such as medicine.

“I’ve only rarely sung this song in the many years since it was written, because I never thought it would be relevant again,” Sting says in a statement. “But, in the light of one man’s bloody and woefully misguided decision to invade a peaceful, unthreatening neighbor, the song is, once again, a plea for our common humanity.”

He adds, “For the brave Ukrainians fighting against this brutal tyranny and also the many Russians who are protesting this outrage despite the threat of arrest and imprisonment — We, all of us, love our children. Stop the war.”

As Sting sings in the song, “There’s no such thing as a winnable war/It’s a lie we don’t believe anymore.”

You can watch Sting and cellist Ramiro Belgardt perform the song on YouTube.

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A new archival Rolling Stones concert album, Live at the El Mocambo, featuring performances from two Toronto club shows that the British rock legends played on March 4 and 5, 1977, will be released on May 13.

The album, which will be available as a two-CD set, a four-LP collection on either black or neon vinyl, and digitally, features The Rolling Stones’ full March 5 concert plus three bonus performances from the previous night.

In advance of the album, two performances have been released today via digital formats — renditions of “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)” and “Rip This Joint.”

The concerts at the 300-capacity El Mocambo club were booked as secret shows, where attendees had won the tickets to see Canadian rock group April Wine. The Stones were billed as the support act for the two nights, under the moniker The Cockroaches. When fans got to the venue, it was April Wine that opened the show, followed by, well, you know who.

The Stones’ set list included such covers as Muddy Waters‘ “Mannish Boy,” Bo Diddley‘s “Crackin’ Up,” Big Maceo‘s “Worried Life Blues” and Willie Dixon‘s “Little Red Rooster,” as well as classic originals like “Honky Tonk Women,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Let’s Spend the Night Together” and “Tumbling Dice.” The band also presented live of “Worried About You,” which later would be released on 1981’s Tattoo You.

Only four songs from the El Mocambo concerts have been officially released previously, appearing on 1977’s Love You Live album alongside many tracks that were captured during The Stones’ 1975 and ’76 tours.

Live at the El Mocambo can be pre-ordered now.

As previously announced, The Stones launch their 60th anniversary tour June 22 in Madrid.

Here’s the full two-CD track list:

CD 1
“Honky Tonk Women”
“All Down the Line”
“Hand of Fate”
“Route 66”
“Fool to Cry”
“Crazy Mama”
“Mannish Boy”
“Crackin’ Up”
“Dance Little Sister”
“Around and Around”
“Tumbling Dice”

CD2
“Hot Stuff”
“Star Star”
“Let’s Spend the Night Together”
“Worried Life Blues”
“Little Red Rooster”
“It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)”
“Rip This Joint”
“Brown Sugar”
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
“Melody”
“Luxury”
“Worried About You”

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Love reigned over Zak Starkey this week! People reports that on Monday, Ringo Starr‘s oldest son and The Who‘s touring drummer since the 1990s got married to his longtime partner and fellow musician, Sharna “Sshh” Liguz.

According to the the magazine, the nuptials took place in West Hollywood, California, at the Sunset Marquis, and featured an intimate gathering of family and friends.

Ringo was on hand to give his son away, while two other rock greats, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder and former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, served as Zak’s best men. Zak played in Marr’s group Johnny Marr & The Healers during the late ’90s and early 2000s.

Zak, 56, and Sharna, 37, have been a couple for almost 20 years, and picked Monday to get hitched because it was the first birthday of their daughter, Luna Lee Lightnin.

In a statement shared with People, Zak and Sharna wrote, “After 18 years together, Luna’s umbilical cord kinda tied the knot but we wanted to make it official and share with our friends and family in the U.S., before doing the same in Jamaica and the U.K.”

Starkey also posted a message on his Instagram page on Wednesday that reads, “Great to be solid with the greatest girl in the world. And to celebrate Luna’s no1 birthday. Thanks to everyone who came from near far wide abstract and online. Our dearest friends in da USA — great to see u at our wedding and experience true party stamina. Feels great to be wed to the woman I have loved for 18 years.”

Zak and Sharna record and perform together as the rock duo Sshh, and also co-founded the record label Trojan Jamaica.

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Dave Grohl has finally unleashed his metal EP as Dream Widow.

The self-titled eight-track collection, which is available now via digital outlets, finds the Foo Fighters frontman channeling his inner ’80s thrasher while performing every instrument and handling lead vocals.

Dream Widow, which takes its name from the fictional band that haunts the Foos in their new Studio 666 horror movie, begins with the lyrics “Take the f***in’ dagger/Draw the pentagram” off the 90-second opening track, “Encino.”

However, Grohl is certainly taking Dream Widow seriously — the collection ends with two songs, “Becoming” and “Lacrimus dei Ebrius,” that push over seven and 10 minutes, respectively.

In between head-banging to Dream Widow, you can watch Studio 666 now on-demand. The film stars the six Foo members as fictional versions of themselves as they try to record an album in a spooky mansion haunted by supernatural forces.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.) 

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The Rocket Man turns 75 today, and Elton John has marked his milestone birthday by issuing a statement summing up his feelings about where he is now in his life and career.

“I’m not usually one to look back or get nostalgic, but 75 is such a milestone birthday. I’ll definitely find time today to take stock and thank my lucky stars for my wonderful family, friends and career,” Elton says in a statement.

“I feel unbelievably lucky that at 75 I still love what I do so much — I’m still so energized about music and excited I get to play, listen and talk about this every single day,” he continues. “Being back on the road is a blast and the thrill of playing live is as amazing as it was 50 years ago.”

He concludes, “I have so much to pass on to the new generation of fans and artists alike, and I’m determined to keep giving back to the industry that has given me so much.”

In celebration of Elton’s birthday, his greatest-hits album Diamonds has been released to streaming platforms in Dolby Atmos, a technology that makes music more immersive and detailed.  In addition, he’s Dua Lipa‘s guest on the new episode of her podcast Dua Lipa: At Your Service.

Elton performs in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, and on Sunday, his 30th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party will take place, hosted by Elton’s husband, David Furnish, along with Lady Gaga, who’s the godmother to Elton’s sons, and Emmy-winning actors Billy Porter and Eric McCormack.

As for Elton himself, the Oscar-winning singer will be performing a Farewell Yellow Brick Show concert in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Oscar Sunday — a date he refused to change, as his fans had waited so long to see him.

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Deep Purple‘s classic sixth studio album, Machine Head, was released 50 years ago today. The record features some of the British rockers’ most enduring tunes, including “Highway Star,” “Space Truckin'” and, of course, the band’s signature song, “Smoke on the Water.”

Driven by the popularity of “Smoke on the Water,” Machine Head became Deep Purple’s highest-charting and best-selling album in the U.S., peaking at #7 on the Billboard 200 and selling over two million copies.

“Smoke on the Water” reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, the band’s best-charting U.S. single along with 1968’s “Hush.”

Deep Purple recorded Machine Head in late 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, on Lake Geneva. While the band was there, the infamous incident occurred that inspired “Smoke on the Water.” Frank Zappa was playing a concert at the Montreux Casino, and during the show, someone in the audience fired a flare gun into the venue’s bamboo ceiling, causing a fire that burned down the building.

After the band had recorded a track featuring guitarist Ritchie Blackmore‘s famous riff, singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover came up with the lyrics telling the story of the fire.

In 2016, Guitar Player magazine ranked the “Smoke on the Water” riff as the second greatest guitar riff of all time. Blackmore tells ABC Audio that with songs by The Kinks and The Rolling Stones in mind, he intentionally wrote the riff simply figuring it would have wider appeal.

“[M]y whole idea was to pull myself back and think, ‘I want to play something the postman can whistle when he’s…delivering letters,'” he explains.

Ritchie adds, “I think [that’s] why a lot of guitarists go to music shops and play it, because it’s very simple to play.”

Here’s the full Machine Head track list:

“Highway Star”
“Maybe I’m a Leo”
“Pictures of Home”
“Never Before”
“Smoke on the Water”
“Lazy”
“Space Truckin'”

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Metallica has announced the release of seven concert films on the Coda Collection, a music-themed channel on Amazon Prime Video.

The series kicks off today with the premiere of 1998’s Cunning Stunts, which was filmed during a 1997 show in Fort Worth, Texas, and 2009’s Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México, which captures three concerts in Mexico City.

The next two weeks will see the debut of newly edited and remixed broadcasts of Metallica’s two 40th anniversary concerts, which took place last December in San Francisco. Night one will air March 31, followed by night two on April 7.

Those will be followed by the 1992 doc A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica premiering April 21, and then 2009 concert films Quebec Magnetic and Français Pour Une Nuit on May 19 and June 9, respectively.

Metallica announced a partnership with the Coda Collection last year, which is set to include a “full slate of concert films, documentaries, and additional content.”

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