Classic Rock News

A long, long time ago — 50 years ago this Sunday, to be exact — Don McLean released his classic anthem “American Pie” and his studio album of the same name.  Now the singer/songwriter has announced initial dates for a 2022 U.S. tour that will commemorate the milestone anniversary.

The trek kicks off with a three-show engagement, January 28-30, at The Blue Note club in Honolulu, and currently is mapped out through a February 24 concert in Tucson, Arizona, with more dates expected to be announced soon.

Among the confirmed shows is scheduled on February 3 — the 63rd anniversary of “The Day the Music Died” — at the historic Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. The Surf Ballroom is, of course, the venue where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper performed on February 3, 1959, before perishing in a plane crash later that evening. The date of the tragic incident is now known as “The Day the Music Died,” and served as an inspiration for McLean to write “American Pie.”

Besides “American Pie,” fans at the tour shows can expect to hear McLean hits including as “Vincent (Starry Starry Night),” “Castles in the Air,” “And I Love You So” and his cover of Roy Orbison‘s “Cryin’,” as well as newer material.

Details of the U.S. tour follows Don’s recently announced plans for a 2022 European trek marking the 50th anniversary of “American Pie” that will run from September to November. Check out his full schedule at DonMcLean.com.

McLean also was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in August.

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Sweet has just released a new single, an updated version of their song “Everything,” which originally appeared on the veteran U.K. glam-rock band’s 2002 studio album, Sweetlife.

Sweet’s current U.K. incarnation is led by the band’s sole surviving original member, guitarist Andy Scott, who says he was inspired to record a new rendition of “Everything” while watching his group’s latest lineup rehearse the tune.

“During the rehearsals for Sweet’s forthcoming UK tour 2021, we were trying out various songs from our back catalogue that could be added to the set list,” explains Scott. “As soon as I heard Paul Manzi and Lee Small‘s vocals on the song ‘Everything,’ I knew that we needed to get it down and record it as our new single.”

He adds about “Everything (2021),” “I think the new version is a far superior production. It’s much closer to how I envisaged it when I co-wrote the song back in the day.”

“Everything (2021)” is available now via streaming services, and you also can check out a music video for the song at Sweet’s official YouTube channel.

Sweet kicks of their 2021 U.K. tour in late November. Check out their full schedule at TheSweet.com.

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Metallica has released a trailer for The Black Album in Black & White, the new photo book chronicling the recording of and tour behind the metal band’s classic 1991 self-titled release, aka The Black Album.

The minute-long clip features a selection of the rare and previously unpublished pictures taken by acclaimed rock photographer Ross Halfin during the Black Album era, all set to the heavy riffs of “Sad but True.”

“I’d like people to view this as an art book,” Halfin says. “I’m serious, Metallica are an art.”

The Black Album in Black & White is out today.

The Black Album, of course, celebrated its 30th anniversary earlier this year. To mark the occasion, Metallica released a deluxe reissue, as well as the Metallica Blacklist tribute compilation.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.) 

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Todd Rundgren, who will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame next week, has just released the latest in a series of collaborative singles, a smooth, funk/soul-flavored tune called “Godiva Girl.”

The song features the prolific and eclectic singer/songwriter teaming up with acclaimed hip-hop/soul group — and The Tonight Show‘s house band — The Roots.

“Godiva Girl” features Rundgren blending throaty vocals with some falsetto highlights as he delivers tongue-in-cheek lyrics in which he compares the object of his desire to all kinds of sweet confections.

You can check out a lyric video for the tune at the Cleopatra Records’ official YouTube channel. The clip features the song’s metaphor-heavy lyrics appearing inside a decorative red heart, and includes an interlude where raspberries fall in slow motion into liquid chocolate.

“Godiva Girl” is available now as a digital download and via streaming services, and also will be featured on Todd’s forthcoming studio album, Space Force, which is due out in 2022.

Space Force also will include the three other collaborative singles that Todd has released since September 2020: “Espionage,” with Iraqi-Canadian hip-hop artist Narcy; “Down with the Ship,” with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo; and “Your Fandango,” with veteran quirky sibling duo Sparks.

As previously, Rundgren is among the artists who will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on October 30 in Cleveland. Todd, who has long expressed disdain for the Rock Hall, won’t be attending the ceremony and, in fact, will be playing a concert in Cincinnati that evening.

In a new interview with Cleveland.com, Todd notes of his induction, “My fans wanted this so badly. I’m just glad they finally got it and I don’t have to hear about it anymore.”

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What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, which is apparently why Rod Stewart has remained there for 10 years and counting.

The legendary singer has announced that he’ll return to the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in 2022 for ten performances of his Rod Stewart: The Hits residency. This will mark his 11th year performing at the venue.

The new shows will offer fans the opportunity to hear a few new songs from Rod’s upcoming album, The Tears of Hercules, which is coming out November 12.

Rod’s 2022 dates are May 13, 14, 18, 20 and 21, and September 23, 24, 28, and 30 and October 1.  Tickets go on sale to the general public on October 23 at 10 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster, but there are several pre-sales going on starting Wednesday via Rod’s fan club and a variety of loyalty programs. Meanwhile, Stewart happens to be winding down a current engagement at the venue with three shows scheduled for this week, on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Incidentally, Sting — Rod’s duet partner on the 1993 number-one hit “All for Love” — starts his first Las Vegas residency at the Colosseum, called My Songs, on October 29.

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Paul McCartney is not shying away from retelling the highs and lows of his career — emphasis on the prior in his upcoming memoir The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, due out November 2.

He shared an excerpt with The Times of London on Sunday, which focused on the time Bob Dylan hooked The Beatles up with some potent marijuana.

“What happened is that we were in a hotel suite, maybe in New York around the summer of 1964, and Bob Dylan turned up with his roadie,” the excerpt begins — adding the event took place right after Dylan released his fourth studio album, Another Side of Bob Dylan.

McCartney continued, “We were just drinking, as usual, having a little party. We’d ordered drinks from room service — scotch and Coke and French wine were our thing back then — and Bob had disappeared into a back room.”

Apparently, band mate Ringo Starr left the room around the same time, only to return a while later “looking a bit strange,” according to Sir Paul. “He said, ‘I’ve just been with Bob, and he’s got some pot,’ or whatever you called it then.”

“And we said, ‘Oh, what’s it like?’ and he said, ‘Well, the ceiling is kind of moving; it’s sort of coming down.’ And that was enough,” McCartney who was in his early 20s at the time, continued. “After Ringo said that, the other three of us all leapt into the back room where Dylan was, and he gave us a puff on the joint.”

McCartney confessed that the band “were giggling, laughing at each other” and described a “hilarious” moment where he ran after George Harrison “like a cartoon chase.”

“We thought, ‘Wow, this is pretty amazing, this stuff,'” Paul reminisced, adding that night went on to become an inside joke with everyone involved.

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This week is about to get a lot more rocking, courtesy of Slash.

The Guns N’ Roses shredder and his solo band, Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators, are set to drop a new single called “The River Is Rising” this Friday, October 22.

The track is presumably the first preview of the upcoming fourth album from Slash and the Conspirators, the follow-up to 2018’s Living the Dream. Slash previously called the record the “best one that we’ve done so far.”

Meanwhile, you can also hear Slash on a pair of new GN’R tunes — “Absurd” and “Hard Skool” — which were released in the past two months.

 

 

 

 

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Matt Sorum played an integral role in the making of ZZ Top frontman and guitarist Billy Gibbons recently released solo album, Hardware, as the ex-Guns N’ Roses member co-wrote, co-produced and played drums on the entire record.

Sorum tells ABC Audio that he’s honored to have had the opportunity to work on the project with Gibbons, and is proud of the album, which they recorded with second guitarist Austin Hanks last year at a studio in California’s High Desert region.

“Billy’s the coolest there is,” Matt declares. “He looks cool, but he is cool.”

Sorum says the project came together after he and Gibbons teamed up early on during the COVID-19 pandemic to work on some new material, and after recording a couple of tracks at Matt’s studio, Billy said suggested they make a full album.

“The pandemic was happening, we were all off the road, so we went up to Pioneertown, California, and we lived at this old ranch, about 140 acres,” Sorum notes. “And it was the coolest thing.”

Matt says the desert setting had a major influence on the songs they wrote and the sound of the album, noting, “I really felt that the record came out great because of that energy around the environment we were in.”

As an example, Sorum shares how one of the tracks, the atmospheric, spoken-word tune “Desert High” came about after he explained to Gibbons that country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons — who was pals with The Rolling Stones‘ Keith Richards — had died at a motel room down the road from the studio.

“So Billy goes, ‘He died in Room 8 and left it all to Keith?'” Sorum recalls. “And I went, ‘That’s the line!’ And we put it in [the song].”

Hardware is available now.

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On Friday, Santana released their latest studio album, the star-studded Blessings and Miracles, and coinciding with the record’s arrival, a video feature offering a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the album has debuted at the band’s official YouTube channel.

The video features band leader Carlos Santana discussing how some of the project’s various songs came about, footage of him working on some of the tracks, and clips of many of the guest artists talking about the experience of collaborating with the guitar legend.

As previously reported, Blessings and Miracles features Santana teaming up with Steve Winwood, Matchbox Twenty‘s Rob Thomas, Metallica‘s Kirk Hammett, country star Chris Stapleton, late jazz keyboardist Chick Corea and others.

At the beginning of the video, Carlos — in his trademark cosmically spiritual way — reflects on getting the opportunity to work on new songs with his various talented collaborators.

“This divine intelligence is orchestrating, behind the scenes while I’m sleeping or doing whatever, a [variety of collaborations],” he declares. “And they present themselves to me. So all I have to do is say, ‘Yes, thank you for bringing your song to me. I would love to bathe in your song and compliment whatever is in front of me.'”

Among the album’s tracks is a cover of the Procol Harum classic “A Whiter Shade of Pale” featuring Winwood on vocals and Hamond organ.

In the video, Winwood says, “Carlos’ genius comes in a large part from a wonderful combination of rock music with Latin, Cuban rhythms. I’ve played with Carlos on numerous occasions over the past 50 years, and I’m very excited to be working with him again, still.”

The video also features commentary from Thomas, Hammett and Stapleton discussing their respective collaborations with Santana — “Move,” “America for Sale” and “Joy.”

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Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction and Billy Idol guitarist Billy Morrison have announced plans for a 2021 edition of their Above Ground benefit concert.

The annual event, which raises money for the MusiCares charity, was previously held in 2018 and 2019, but was put on hold in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’ll now make its return this year at The Fonda Theatre in Hollywood on December 20.

Along with Navarro and Morrison, the lineup includes Idol and his other guitarist, Steve Stevens; Perry and Etty Lau Farrell; Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins; Slipknot‘s Corey Taylor; and Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath.

As with previous years, the Above Ground performers will play songs off two seminal albums. This year’s selections are Lou Reed‘s Transformer and Sex Pistols‘ Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols.

You can check out a video of Navarro and Morrison talking about this year’s show at the Above Ground organization’s YouTube channel.

Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday, October 22, at AXS.com.

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