Classic Rock News

Eagles bassist Timothy B. Schmit will release a new solo studio album titled Day by Day on May 6.

The 12-track collection features guest contributions from a variety of well-known artists, including Jackson Browne, Lindsey Buckingham, John Fogerty, longtime Tom Petty keyboardist Benmont Tench, Doobie Brothers multi-instrumentalist John McFee, blues-rocker Kenny Wayne Sheppard and acclaimed session drummer Jim Keltner.

Schmit has released the album’s lead track, “Simple Man,” as an advance digital single, while a companion music video has premiered at his official YouTube channel.

“Simple Man” is an introspective folk-rock tune featuring lead guitar from from Buckingham and harmony vocals from ex-Beach Boys touring members Chris Farmer and Matt Jardine — son of founding Beach Boy Al Jardine.

The video captures Schmit in and around his home studio in rural Los Angles County, and includes scenes where Timothy appears to be singing with two other versions of himself.

Day by Day also includes a song titled “Grinding Stone,” which features Schmit harmonizing with Browne and Fogerty.

Timothy’s daughter Jeddrah also sings backing vocals on the album.

Day by Day is Schmit’s seventh solo album overall, and his first since 2016’s Leap of Faith. It was recorded at his home studio during breaks on the Eagles’ tour schedule.

Reflecting on his songwriting, Timothy says, “I try to latch on to whatever’s floating my way through the ethers. I just want to make good music and put a smile on people’s faces. I love the process and feel extremely lucky to be able to make new music as an older guy, and this is very satisfying.”

CD and two-LP versions of the upcoming record can be pre-ordered now at Timothy’s online store.

Here’s the full Day by Day track list:

“Simple Man”
“The Next Rainbow”
“Heartbeat”
“Mr. X”
“Question of the Heart”
“Something You Should Know”
“I Come Alive”
“Feather in the Wind”
“Grinding Stone”
“Taste Like Candy”
“Conflicted”
“Where We Belong”

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As Asia celebrates its 40th anniversary, the prog-rock supergroup has revealed plans to release a deluxe box set on June 10 titled ASIA in Asia — Live at The Budokan, Tokyo, 1983, focusing on a historic concert the band played in Japan.

The centerpiece of the multi-disc collection is a December 6, 1983, performance that the group gave at Tokyo’s famous Budokan venue, the second of a three-show engagement Asia played there. The concert made history as the first live broadcast from Japan to MTV in the U.S. The band’s lineup for the shows feature Emerson, Lake & Palmer frontman Greg Lake stepping for founding Asia singer/bassist John Wetton, who had just left he group.

The box set will feature a Blu-ray containing video and high-res audio of the concert, as well as two CDs, two colored-vinyl LPs, a 40-page book, an Asia pin badge and various pieces of printed memorabilia.

The LPs and one of the CDs have the audio of the full show that aired on MTV plus a couple of songs that weren’t included in the original broadcast. The second CD boasts newly mastered audio of the concert that Asia played the previous night.

The video featured on the Blu-ray was only previously released on the VHS format.

ASIA in Asia, which you can pre-order now, also will be available as a a two-LP set in a gatefold sleeve, as well as a single CD and via digital formats.

Reflecting on the Tokyo performance with his fellow ELP alum fronting Asia, drummer Carl Palmer says, “Greg Lake did a great job jumping into John’s shoes. So many songs to sing, he did it so well. It was impressive.”

Here’s the ASIA in Asia track list:

Introduction from Mark Goodman (MTV)
“Time Again”
“The Heat Goes On”
“Here Comes the Feeling”
“Eye to Eye”
Steve Howe Solo (“Sketches in the Sun”)
“Only Time Will Tell”
“Open Your Eyes”
Geoffrey Downes Solo (“Ihiri – The Setting Sun”/”Bolero”)
“The Smile Has Left Your Eyes”
“Wildest Dreams”
Carl Palmer Solo
“Heat of the Moment”
“Sole Survivor”
“Cutting It Fine”
“Daylight”

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Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler makes a guest appearance on a new song by Finnish symphonic metal band Apocalyptica called “I’ll Get Through It.”

The track, which is available now via digital formats, features vocals by Franky Perez, who was a touring member of Apocalyptica from 2014 to 2016 and sang with the cello-led metal band on its 2015 album, Shadowmaker. Perez and Butler also were members of the short-lived band Deadland Ritual, as were longtime Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens and ex-Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum.

“I’ll Get Through It” was written by prolific hit songwriter Diane Warren, whose long list of credits include Aerosmith‘s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” Chicago‘s “Look Away,” Cher‘s “If I Could Turn Back Time,” and many, many others.

Apocalyptica will kick off a new U.S. tour, with Perez on vocals, on  April 7 in Atlanta.

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This Saturday, March 19, Queen will present a special online stream of a 2008 concert that the band played in Ukraine with founding Bad Company/Free singer Paul Rodgers, aimed at raising money for relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees in need because of Russia’s ongoing invasion of that country.

The concert, which took place in Freedom Square in the city of Kharkiv in September 2008, featured Queen and Rodgers performing a 28-song set that included a bevy of Queen classics and gems, select tunes by Free and Bad Company, and a few songs from The Cosmos Rocks, the then-new collaborative album by Queen + Paul Rodgers.

The band was invited by Ukraine’s Elena Pinchuk AntiAids Foundation to play a free AIDS-awareness concert dubbed “Life Must Go On.” The show was attended by more than 350,000 and was viewed by a TV audience of over 10 million people.

Remembering the event, the band says it was “an unforgettable experience…one of those rare things in life you know you will never forget. A meeting in music, but also a coming together to fight a common enemy.”

Queen has decided to revisit the show at a time when so many Ukrainians need humanitarian aid.

Queen + Paul Rodgers Live in Ukraine will stream at Queen’s official YouTube channel on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to make donations to UNHCR – The UN Refugee Agency.

Here’s the set list of the concert:

“One Vision”
“Tie Your Mother Down”
“The Show Must Go On”
“Fat Bottomed Girls”
“Another One Bites the Dust”
“Hammer to Fall”
“I Want It All”
“I Want to Break Free”
“Seagull”
“Love of My Life”
“39”
Drum Solo
“I’m In Love with My Car”
“Say It’s Not True”
“Shooting Star”
“Bad Company”
Guitar Solo
“Bijou”
“Last Horizon”
“Crazy Little Thing Called Love”
“C-lebrity”
“Feel Like Makin’ Love”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“Cosmos Rockin'”
“All Right Now”
“We Will Rock You”
“We Are the Champions”
“God Save the Queen”

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Neil Young has unveiled plans to issue the fourth installment of his Official Release Series (ORS), a four-disc box set featuring three of his 1980s studio albums, plus the rare Eldorado EP, on April 29.

The ORS #4 collection, which can be pre-ordered now, will be available in both CD and vinyl formats. It features 1980’s folk- and country-influenced Hawks & Doves, 1981’s hard-rocking Crazy Horse collaboration Re•ac•tor, 1988’s foray into big-band blues This Note’s for You, and the aforementioned Eldorado, a five-track EP from 1989 that previously was only released in Japan and Australia.

Eldorado includes two songs, “Cocaine Eyes” and “Heavy Love,” that have never appeared on any other album. If you pre-order the box set, you receive an immediate download of “Cocaine Eyes.” The track also is available to purchase now as a digital single and via streaming services.

Hawks & Doves, Re•ac•tor and This Note’s for You reached $30, #27 and #61, respectively, on the Billboard 200. The Re•ac•tor song “Southern Pacific” peaked at #22 on Billboard‘s Top Rock Tracks tally, while This Note’s for You‘s title track and “Ten Workin’ Men” landed at #19 and #6 on the same chart.

The CD version of ORS #4 will be sold via all retailers, while the vinyl package will be available at independent record stores and at the Greedy Hand Store at Neil’s official website, NeilYoungArchives.com. All those who purchase ORS #4 box sets at the Greedy Hand Store will receive a free hi-res digital download of the collection from the Neil Young Archives’ Xstream Store.

Here’s the Hawks & Doves track list:

“Little Wing”
“The Old Homestead”
“Lost in Space”
“Captain Kennedy”
“Stayin’ Power”
“Coastline”
“Union Man”
“Comin’ Apart at Every Nail”
“Hawks & Doves”

Here’s the Re•ac•tor track list:

“Opera Star”
“Surfer Joe and Moe the Sleaze”
“T-Bone”
“Get Back on It”
“Southern Pacific”
“Motor City”
“Rapid Transit”
“Shots”

Here’s the This Note’s for You track list:

“Ten Men Workin'”
“This Note’s for You”
“Coupe de Ville”
“Life in the City”
“Twilight”
“Married Man”
“Sunny Inside”
“Can’t Believe Your Lyin'”
“Hey Hey”
“One Thing”

And here’s the Eldorado EP’s track list:

“Cocaine Eyes”
“Don’t Cry”
“Heavy Love”
“On Broadway”
“Eldorado”

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Star Wars films director J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot Productions company are joining forces with Netflix to develop a scripted series about U2, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The as-yet-untitled show will be written by Anthony McCarten, whose credits include the screenplays of a string of successful biographical films, including the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, plus Darkest Hour, The Theory of Everything and The Two Popes. He received Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay for the latter two.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, U2 is expected to sanction the new series and to be involved in the production, which reportedly is in the early stages of development.

Most details about the show are currently being kept secret.

U2, of course, are probably the most famous rock band ever to emerge from Ireland. The group formed in Dublin in 1976, when all four members — singer Bono, guitarist The Edge, drummer Larry Mullin Jr. and bassist Adam Clayton — were all in high school. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, and continue to be among the most popular touring acts in the world.

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Limited-edition black vinyl versions of The Who‘s first two U.K. albums, 1965’s My Generation and 1966’s A Quick One, will be released on May 6 to launch a new series of half-speed-mastered vinyl editions of the British rock legends’ albums.

Both albums were mastered at London’s Abbey Road Studios by longtime Who engineer Jon Astley and cut for vinyl by acclaimed engineer by Miles Showell. The discs will be packaged in sleeves replicating the albums’ original designs, along and with certificates of authenticity.

My Generation originally was released in December 1965 and reached #5 on the British charts, while its title track peaked at #2 on the U.K. singles tally. The album also featured such gems as “A Legal Matter” and “The Kids Are Alright,” which also were released a singles in the U.K.

A Quick One was released in December 1966 and reached #4 on the U.K. albums chart. Although it yielded no hit singles, the record included the min rock opera “A Quick One, While He’s Away,” a precursor to the band’s longer concept projects, as well as such memorable tunes as “Boris the Spider” and “So Sad About Us.”

In the U.S., both albums were released with different titles — The Who Sings My Generation and Happy Jack — and slightly different track lists. In 2008, The Who Sings My Generation was selected for inclusion in the U.S. Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry as “culturally significant.”

You can pre-order the half-speed-mastered My Generation and A Quick One LPs now.

Here’s My Generation‘s full track list:

Side 1
“Out in the Street”
“I Don’t Mind”
“The Good’s Gone”
“La-La-La-Lies”
“Much Too Much”
“My Generation”

Side 2
“The Kids Are Alright”
“Please, Please, Please”
“It’s Not True”
“I’m a Man”
“A Legal Matter”
“The Ox”

Here’s A Quick One‘s full track list:

Side 1
“Run Run Run”
“Boris the Spider”
“I Need You”
“Whiskey Man”
“Heatwave”
“Cobwebs and Strange”

Side 2
“Don’t Look Away”
“See My Way”
“So Sad About Us”
“A Quick One, While He’s Away”

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The 30th anniversary edition of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards‘ second solo album, 1992’s Main Offender, was released today.

The reissue is available in multiple formats and configurations, including a limited-edition super-deluxe box set featuring remastered CD and vinyl versions of the album, as well as a bonus live album on CD and two LPs.

A follow-up to Richards’ 1988 solo debut, Talk Is Cheap, Main Offender was released in October 1992. The album features 10 songs that Keith co-wrote with acclaimed drummer and producer Steve Jordan, who became The Stones’ touring drummer in 2021. Guitarist Waddy Wachtel, bassist/keyboardist Charley Drayton and backing singer Sara Dash — who died in 2021 — also received songwriting credits on select tunes.

Jordan, Wachtel, Drayton and Dash, along with keyboardist Ivan Neville, all were members of Richards’ side group The X-Pensive Winos. Last week, Keith reunited with most of the group to perform at the 2022 Love Rocks NYC! benefit concert at New York’s Beacon Theatre.

Main Offender peaked at #99 on the Billboard 200, while the songs “Wicked as It Seems” and “Eileen” reached #3 and #17, respectively, on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Tracks tally.

The live album featured in the box set, titled Winos Live in London ’92, captures a previously unreleased performance by Keith and his band that includes renditions of select songs from both Talk Is Cheap and Main Offender, as well as of The Stones’ “Gimme Shelter,” “Before They Make Me Run” and “Happy.”

The super deluxe collection also features an LP version of Main Offender pressed on smoke-colored vinyl; an 88-page, leather-bound book offering rare photos and Keith’s handwritten lyrics; and collectibles including a guitar pick, a bumper sticker and posters.

Here’s the Main Offender track list:

“999”
“Wicked as It Seems”
“Eileen”
“Words of Wonder”
“Yap Yap”
“Bodytalks”
“Hate It When You Leave”
“Runnin’ Too Deep”
“Will but You Won’t”
“Demon”

And here’s the Winos Live in London ’92 track list:

“Take It So Hard”
“999”
“Wicked as It Seems”
“How I Wish”
“Gimme Shelter”
“Hate It When You Leave”
“Before They Make Me Run”
“Eileen”
“Will But You Won’t”
“Bodytalks”
“Happy”
“Whip It Up”

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Fifty years ago today, March 18, 1972, Neil Young scored his only #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when “Heart of Gold” ascended to the top spot on the chart.

“Heart of Gold” was the lead single from Young’s fourth studio album, Harvest, which earlier that month became Neil’s first — and only — solo effort to reach #1 on the Billboard 200.

Young recorded the song in Nashville in February 1971 during the same sessions that yielded Harvest‘s second single, “Old Man,” which went on to peak at #31 on the Hot 100.

“Heart of Gold” featured backing vocals by James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, who, along with Young, were in Nashville at the time to appear on an episode of Johnny Cash‘s variety show. Besides his lead vocals, Neil played harmonica and guitar on the track. The other contributing musicians were three members of Young’s backing group The Stray Gators — Ben Keith on pedal steel guitar, Tim Drummond on bass and Kenny Buttrey on drums — as well as renowned session guitarist Teddy Irwin.

Taylor and Ronstadt also lent their vocal talents to “Old Man,” while James played banjo guitar on the track as well.

Reflecting on the popularity of “Heart of Gold,” Neil wrote in the liner notes of his 1977 Decades compilation, “This song put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there.”

Harvest went on to become the best-selling album in the U.S. for 1972, and is Young’s his best-selling solo album ever. It has been certified four-times platinum for sales of over four million copies in the States.

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David Crosby and Michael McDonald are among the artists who have contributed their talents to the second album by Canadian singer/songwriter and keyboardist Michelle Willis, Just One Voice, which will be released on April 8.

Willis, who is based in Brooklyn, New York, is perhaps best known for her work with Crosby’s Lighthouse Band and Skytrails Band, the two backing groups that the folk-rock legend has been touring and recording with in recent years.

Michelle says she was inspired to record Just One Voice after playing the title track for David while they were on the road together and he told her, “No one else sounds like this. This is you. You have to make this record.”

Not long after that, Willis was able to secure a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, which helped her get the project rolling.

McDonald is featured on a song called “How Come.” Another contributor to the album is Becca Stevens, who also is a member of Crosby’s Lighthouse Band.

In 2018, Crosby, Willis, Stevens and Snarky Puppy frontman Michael League — a fellow Lighthouse Band member — released the collaborative album Here If You Listen.

Meanwhile, Michelle recently posted on YouTube a 2019 live performance featuring her duetting with David on “Trigger,” a song that appears on Just One Voice.

The album can be pre-ordered now on CD and via digital formats.

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