Classic Rock News

Sting recently turned 70, but unlike fellow rock star Elton John, he has no plans to retire any time soon…or ever, actually.

Speaking to USA Today, Sting says asking him to imagine never touring again would be like “asking a fish what it’s going to be like without water.” He adds, “I can’t imagine life without working onstage. I love it.”

In fact, Sting’s busier than ever. On November 19, he’ll release a new album, The Bridge, which he says he recorded “as a way to save his mental health” during lockdown.  He also launched his first-ever Las Vegas residency, My Songs, which he jokes is “better” than Elton’s residency, The Red Piano.

On top of that, Sting did a comic turn as a murder suspect in the hit Hulu series Only Murders in the Building, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.

“I’ve worked with both Steve Martin and Martin Short many times over the years and they knew I could say lines at least,” Sting says of getting the part. “I’d never worked with Selena, and she was fabulous. It was fun.”

Sting’s Las Vegas show, at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, runs through November 13, and will then return in June for more dates. Sting also has a European tour kicking off in March.

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With Led Zeppelin celebrating the 50th anniversary today of the release of its classic 1971 untitled studio album, better known as Led Zeppelin IV, comes news that the record has just been certified 24 times Platinum by the RIAA for notching 24 million equivalent album unit sales in the U.S.

This moves Led Zeppelin IV into a tie with The Beatles‘ White Album for the fifth-best-selling album ever in the States.

The only albums ahead of Zeppelin IV are the Eagles‘ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, at 38-times platinum; Michael Jackson‘s Thriller, at 34-times platinum; the Eagles’ Hotel California, at 26-times platinum; and AC/DC‘s Back in Black, at 25-times platinum.

Led Zeppelin recorded most of Led Zeppelin IV‘s basic tracks while staying at a country house called Headley Grange in Hampshire, England, using The Rolling Stones‘ mobile studio.

Led Zeppelin IV featured several of the band’s best-known tunes, including perhaps their most famous song of all, the epic rock anthem “Stairway to Heaven.”

Robert Plant recalls that he was at Headley Grange when he began writing the lyrics for “Stairway to Heaven.”

“I was sitting next to Jimmy [Page] in front of the fire…He’d written this chord sequence and was playing it to me,” Plant remembers. “I was holding a pencil and paper and suddenly my hand is writing the words ‘There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold…’ I sat there, looked at the words and almost leaped out from my seat. Looking back, I suppose I sat down at the right moment.”

Late drummer John Bonham said around the time of Led Zeppelin IV‘s release that he felt it was the best album the band had made up till that time.

“I love it,” he added.

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Van Morrison is being sued for libel by Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann after the singer called the politician “dangerous” in a series of recent outbursts criticizing Swann over his policies related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sunday Life newspaper reports.

According to the paper, Swann has hired libel lawyer Paul Tweed, who has represented such high-profile clients as Harrison Ford, Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez, and is preparing for a High Court showdown with Morrison this coming February, unless the case can be settled before that.

Swann’s lawyers claim that Van’s public comments were equivalent to accusing the minister of misusing his office and endangering the public, and maintain that the singer falsely suggested that Swann had misrepresented facts regarding the pandemic.

The lawsuit stems from three separate incidents where Morrison verbally attacked Swann. The first occurred at a June concert in Belfast where Morrison, angered that some of his upcoming concerts had been canceled because of the pandemic, attempted to lead the audience in a chant of “Robin Swann is very dangerous.”

The second incident occurred when a Sunday Life reporter asked Van to comment about whether he regretted his remarks about Swann at his Belfast show and Morrison responded, “No, no I don’t regret it…Of course he’s dangerous.”

The third instance cited was a pair of videos Van posted on his YouTube channel in which he explains why he feels Swann is dangerous, while also expressing disdain for the politician over a then-recent op-ed piece Swann wrote for Rolling Stone in which he criticized Van’s anti-lockdown views and his series of recent protest songs he’d released in which he expressed those views.

Starting last year, Morrison began releasing songs protesting U.K.-imposed regulations meant to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Van believes the regulations are taking away people’s freedoms and destroying musicians’ livelihoods.

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Finally, Foo Fighters are starring in their own movie.

Dave Grohl and company have announced Studio 666, an upcoming horror-comedy film set to premiere in domestic theaters February 25, 2022.

In Studio 666, the Foos enter a creepy mansion to record a new album, only to find themselves battling “supernatural forces that threaten both the completion of the album and the lives of the band.” You may recall that, leading up to the release of the new Foo Fighters album Medicine at Midnight, Grohl repeatedly said the house in which they recorded it was haunted.

“After decades of ridiculous music videos and numerous music documentaries under our collective belts, it was finally time to take it to the next level,” Grohl says. “Like most things Foo, Studio 666 began with a far fetched idea that blossomed into something bigger than we ever imagined possible.”

“Filmed at the same house where we recorded our latest album Medicine at Midnight (told you that place was haunted!) we wanted to recapture the classic magic that all of our favorite rock and roll movies had, but with a twist: hilarious gore that f***ing ROCKS,” he continues. “Be ready to laugh, scream, and headbang in your popcorn. Studio 666 will f*** you up.”

In addition to the six Foo members, the Studio 666 cast includes Whitney Cummings, Leslie Grossman, Will Forte, Jenna Ortega and Jeff Garlin.

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Here’s a literally metal way to celebrate Metallica hitting the big 4-0.

The “Enter Sandman” legends are selling a very limited edition silver ring in honor of the band’s 40th anniversary. Only 40 will be made, with each one hand-numbered, and engraved with the last names of current ‘Tallica members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo, as well as ex-bassist Jason Newsted and the late Cliff Burton.

The rings cost $399.99, and will go on sale Monday, November 8, at 9 a.m. PT via the Metallica web store. They will only be available to those belonging to Metallica’s Fifth Member fan club.

If you miss out on one, a run of standard, unnumbered rings will go on sale in December for $249.99.

Metallica’s 40th anniversary celebration will continue with a pair of special hometown San Francisco concerts, taking place December 17 and 19.

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A new eight-CD Steppenwolf box set featuring remastered versions of the band’s first six studio efforts and first two live albums will be released on November 19.

Magic Carpet Ride: The Dunhill/ABC Years (1967-1971) includes the band’s 1968 self-titled debut and its follow-up, The Second, released the same year; 1969’s At Your Birthday Party, Monster and the archival concert album Early Steppenwolf; 1970’s Steppenwolf 7 and Steppenwolf Live; and 1971’s For Ladies Only.

All of the albums in the box set are embellished with bonus tracks with the exception of Early Steppenwolf. That album captures the John Kay-fronted band performing in May 1967 — when it was still known as The Sparrows — at the San Francisco club The Matrix.

The Steppenwolf album features the band’s biggest hit and signature song, “Born to Be Wild,” which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became an enduring counterculture anthem after its appearance in the classic 1969 film Easy Rider. It also includes the group’s cover of Hoyt Axton‘s “The Pusher,” which was heard in Easy Rider, as well.

The Second includes another huge hit for the group, “Magic Carpet Ride,” which reached #3 on the Hot 100.

At Your Birthday Party features Steppenwolf’s third and final top-10 hit, “Rock Me.”

Steppenwolf, The Second, Monster, Steppenwolf 7 and Steppenwolf Live all were certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000.

You can pre-order the Magic Carpet Ride box set and check out the full track list at CherryRed.co.uk.

Steppenwolf initially broke up in 1972, but the band re-formed in 1974 with almost the same lineup. Kay continued to lead various incarnations of the group until October 2018, when the band played what he says was their final concert.

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Fifty years ago today, November 8, Led Zeppelin released its classic fourth studio album, an untitled collection commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV.

The massively successful album is packed with some of the band’s best-known songs, including one of the great all-time rock anthems, “Stairway to Heaven,” and cemented Led Zeppelin’s reputation as the world’s biggest hard rock band.

Led Zeppelin IV missed topping the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at #2, but the album has gone on to sell over 23 million copies in the U.S., making it among the five best-selling studio albums ever in the States.

Besides “Stairway to Heaven,” Led Zeppelin IV features “Black Dog,” “Rock and Roll,” “Misty Mountain Hop,” “Going to California” and more.

“Black Dog” reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100, Led Zeppelin’s second highest-charting single in the U.S. after “Whole Lotta Love,” which peaked at #4 in 1970.

Two guest artists are featured on Led Zeppelin IV. Former Fairport Convention singer Sandy Denny duets with Robert Plant on “The Battle of Evermore,” and original Rolling Stones keyboardist Ian Stewart plays piano on “Rock and Roll.” Denny was the only guest vocalist ever to appear on a Led Zeppelin song.

Heart sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, who famously saluted Led Zeppelin at the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors by performing “Stairway to Heaven” with late Zeppelin drummer John Bonham‘s son, Jason, tell ABC Audio that Led Zeppelin IV made a major impact on them.

Ann credits the album with being “probably one of the biggest turning points of my musical life,” while Nancy says that Led Zeppelin “painted…culture-altering landscapes” on the record.

Meanwhile, a video series profiling the making of Led Zeppelin IV has been posted on the band’s YouTube channel.

Here’s the album’s full track list:

“Black Dog”
“Rock and Roll”
“The Battle of Evermore”
“Stairway to Heaven”
“Misty Mountain Hop”
“Four Sticks”
“Going to California”
“When the Levee Breaks”

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Phil Lynott: Songs for While I’m Away, a 2020 documentary about the life and music of late Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, got its release on digital video today, November 5.

The film tells the story of how a Black boy raised during the 1950s by a working-class family in Dublin went on to become one of Ireland’s biggest rock stars, before dying in 1986 of drug-related health issues at the age of 36.

The film features archival footage of and conversations with Lynott, as well as new interviews with Thin Lizzy members and/or alums Scott Gorham, Eric Bell, Darren Wharton and Midge Ure, as well as with such other notable music artists as U2‘s Adam Clayton, Metallica‘s James Hetfield, Huey Lewis and Suzi Quatro.

The movie also includes conversations with Phil’s wife, Caroline Taraskevics, and his daughters Sarah and Catherine Lynott.

You can check out a trailer for the documentary at Thin Lizzy’s official YouTube channel. The promo includes archival audio commentary from Phil, as well as brief voice-over segments from various people, including Hetfield, who calls Lynott “one of the greatest songwriters of all time,” and Lewis, who says Phil was “literally the best hard-rock entertainer I’ve ever seen.”

For more details about the movie, visit PhilLynottFilm.com.

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On November 1, Billy Joel celebrated his 50th anniversary as a recording artist, and now he’s turning back the clock by posting his very first music video.

But maybe calling it a “music video” oversells it: It’s a 1971 film of a long-haired, bearded Billy in his early twenties, sitting at a piano and playing “Everybody Loves You Now,” a track from his debut solo album Cold Spring Harbor.

Cold Spring Harbor is one of the albums included in The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1: a new box set of nine vinyl LPs featuring Billy’s first six studio albums and his first live album, Songs in the Attic, plus a previously unreleased double-LP concert recording that’s exclusive to the box set.  The set also comes with a 50-page booklet featuring archival photos, Billy’s personal observations, and tributes from fellow musicians and celebrities.

The box set is out today.  Tonight, Billy resumes his residency at New York’s Madison Square Garden.  He recently announced two more stadium shows for 2022: a March 12 concert at Orlando, FL’s Camping World Stadium and a September 23 show at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX.  Tickets for both shows go on sale November 12.

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A number of well-known veteran music artists have received nominations for the 2021 Hollywood Music in Media Awards — the HMMAs — which honor composers, songwriters, and music supervisors for their work in music for film, television and videogames.

This year’s nominees include Brian Wilson, U2, Pearl Jam‘s Eddie Vedder, Van Morrison and Devo‘s Mark Mothersbaugh.

Wilson received two nods, both for his recent documentary Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road. Brian will vie for the Song: Documentary Film honor for “Right Where I Belong,” which the Beach Boys legend co-wrote with My Morning Jacket‘s Jim James, while the movie itself has been nominated in the Music Documentary/Special Program category.

U2 received a nod in the Song: Animated Film category for their new tune “Your Song Saved My Life” from the upcoming flick Sing 2.

Vedder will vie for the Song: Feature Film prize “My Father’s Daughter,” a tune he co-wrote with and The Frames‘ Glen Hansard for the film Flag Day that Eddie’s daughter Olivia performed.

Morrison will compete for the Song: Independent Film award for “Down to Joy,” which is from the movie Belfast.

Like Wilson, Mothersbaugh is a two-time nominee. He’s in the running for the Score: Animated Film prize for The Mitchells vs. The Machines, and in the Score: Video Game category for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

The winners of this year’s Hollywood Music in Media Awards will be announced during a livestreamed ceremony held November 17 in Hollywood, California.

To check out all of the nominees, visit HMMAwards.com.

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