Classic Rock News

After making headlines by claiming that the amount of royalties Sting gets from Diddy‘s song “I’ll Be Missing You” is $5,000 a day, Diddy now claims it was a big joke.

Earlier this week, Diddy replied to a clip of Sting confirming that he makes $2,000 per day in royalties from “I’ll Be Missing You” because it samples “Every Breath You Take,” his 1983 number one hit with The Police, Diddy wrote, “Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting!”

But on Friday, Diddy took to Twitter to walk back his comment.

“I want y’all to understand I was joking! It’s called being Facetious! Me and @OfficialSting have been friends for a long time! He never charged me $3K or $5K a day for Missing You,” Diddy wrote. “He probably makes more than $5K a day from one of the biggest songs in history.”

The whole thing is really semantics, though. Diddy used the sample without permission, which caused Sting to take legal action: He sued for a chunk of royalties and won. So while Sting may not have personally “charged” Diddy for the sample, the fact remains that he gets a percentage of whatever royalties the song earns, whether it adds up to $2,000 per day — that’s $730,000 per year — or more.

In 2003, Sting told Rolling Stone, “Those guys just take your s***, put it on a record and deal with the legality later … I put a couple of my kids through college with the proceeds, and me and [Diddy] are good pals still.”

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Rock & Roll Hall of Famer David Crosby passed away January 18, and now his Crosby, Stills & Nash bandmate Graham Nash has revealed that he passed away after contracting COVID-19.

“He was rehearsing for a show to do in Los Angeles with a full band,” Nash shared on the Kyle Meredith With… podcast. “After three days of rehearsals, he felt a little sick. And he’d already had COVID, and he had COVID again.” He adds, “And so he went home and decided that he would take a nap, and he never woke up. But he died in his bed, and that is fantastic.”

Nash says many people didn’t expect Crosby to live as long as he did, noting he expected him to go “20 years ago.”

“I mean, the fact that he made it to 81 was astonishing,” Nash offers, although he says it was still a shock.

Nash has previously said that he and Crosby had been mending fences before Crosby’s death, and Nash says he was pleased they had been “getting closer towards the end.”

“He had a good life. I mean, what incredible music he made. He was a fantastic storyteller,” he says. “I loved him dearly. In looking back at what separated us, it was just foolish stuff, really. The music is the most important part of our relationship.”

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Metallica is coming to late night TV next week.

The metal legends have announced a weeklong residency on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! from Monday, April 10, to Thursday, April 13.

Each show will feature a Metallica performance. The “Enter Sandman” outfit will also sit down with host Jimmy Kimmel for an interview on the Monday episode.

“Keep your eyes peeled for other sightings during the broadcast, as we really don’t know what else Jimmy will get us involved in!” the group teases.

The Kimmel residency leads up to the release of Metallica’s new album, 72 Seasons, on Friday, April 14.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.

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Rush’s Geddy Lee is finally ready to share his story. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s much anticipated memoir, My Effin’ Life, finally has a release date. A post on Rush’s Twitter account shared a picture of the book’s cover, along with the news that the book will be dropping November 14.

Geddy initially announced he was working on a memoir back in September 2021, and it was originally reported to be coming out in the fall of 2022. He shared the news of the book in an Instagram post, writing it was one of the things he did to pass the time during COVID-19 lockdowns. He also said writing it helped him deal with the January 2020 death of his Rush bandmate Neal Peart.

At the time he described the book as a “presentable, epic-length account of my life on and off the stage…my childhood, my family, the story of my parents’ survival, my travels and all sorts of nonsense I’ve spent too much time obsessing over.”

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Pink Floyd is back on the Billboard chart. The Dark Side of the Moon: Live at Wembley, London, 1974, which was released last month, has landed in the top 10 on several Billboard charts.

The album debuts at eight on the Top Album Sales chart, at nine on the Top Rock Albums chart, at five on the Vinyl Albums chart and at eight on the Top Current Album Sales chart. And on the weekly Billboard 200 Album chart, the record debuts at 49. 

The Dark Side of the Moon: Live at Wembley, London, 1974 was released in conjunction with the band’s 50th anniversary celebration of the classic album. It was part of the 50th anniversary box set that just came out and was also available as a standalone album, the first time the live concert was officially released as a standalone album.

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David Bowie fans will soon be able to watch the documentary Moonage Daydream without leaving the comfort of their own homes. The doc, from Oscar- and Emmy-nominated director Brett Morgan, will debut on HBO Saturday, April 29, at 8 p.m. and will also stream on HBO Max.

Moonage Daydream focused on Bowie’s catalog from 1970 to 1977, with Morgan having access to unseen footage of Bowie, as well as art and poetry from his personal collection. The movie was described as “a sublime kaleidoscopic experiential cinematic odyssey that explores Bowie’s creative, spiritual, and philosophical journey.”

The film, which screened during the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, received high praise from critics and was nominated for five Critics Choice Awards, winning for Best Editing. It also earned a BAFTA Best Documentary nomination.

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Twisted Sister reunited earlier this year for their Heavy Metal Hall of Fame induction, and it may not be the last time we see them perform together.

Frontman Dee Snider, who was just revealed to be The Doll on The Masked Singer, says he expects to reunite with his bandmates in conjunction with the 2024 elections — especially since politicians keep using their song “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” but not in the way it was intended.

“Next year, you’re gonna see some Twisted Sister reunions at different political rallies that need our support,” Snider tells Yahoo! Entertainment. “The band has a concern that the song is being co-opted by the extreme right … and we want to make sure that people still know it’s a song for everybody and it does not represent that selfish micro group.”

He adds, “It is really for the mass people, the moderate people, the people that just want to live their lives, be themselves, and not have people tell ’em they can’t be themselves.”

Snider, who was known to wear makeup as part of his Twisted Sister stage getup, is particularly upset about some of the drag bans that are being passed across the country.

“My band would not be allowed to perform in Texas,” he says, because of the band’s makeup wearing. “So, do I stand with the [LGBTQ+/drag] community? 100%.”

He’s also noted that he’d be more than happy for the LGBTQ+ and drag communities to use his song. “I’m very in favor of free expression on every level,” he says. “And I will stand with the community, if they ask me to stand with them. I am with them.”

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Courtney Love has shared a tribute to Kurt Cobain marking the anniversary of her late husband’s death.

On her Instagram, Love posted a photo of the Nirvana frontman’s hands that was taken by R.E.M.‘s Michael Stipe, describing it as a “powerful photograph of my twin flame.”

“It is one of the only images (or sounds/tastes etc) that make me miss him deeply,” Love writes, adding, “I know he’s in an enlightened place.”

According to Rolling Stone, Love and Cobain’s daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, also acknowledged the anniversary in a since-expired Instagram Story.

“Everyday I aim to have gratitude for everything that surrounds this life including loss,” Frances wrote. “It’s the ultimate teacher. Hold the people you love a little more tightly and a little bit closer for me today.”

Cobain died by suicide on April 5, 1994, at age 27. Eerily, fellow grunge rocker Layne Staley of Alice in Chains also died on April 5, eight years later in 2002.

If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or by visiting 988lifeline.org. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

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Steely Dan is reissuing another classic album on vinyl. The latest is their 1973 release, Countdown To Ecstasy, marking the first time it’s been released on vinyl in more than 30 years. 

The reissue, dropping May 26, is remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tapes. It’s being pressed on 180-gram black vinyl at 33 1/3 RPM, plus there will be a limited edition premium 45 RPM version on Ultra High-Quality Vinyl.

Steely Dan is in the midst of an extensive reissue program, which will see the band’s first seven albums returning to vinyl; for many it will be the first time on vinyl since their original release. The program started in November with the reissue of the band’s debut album, Can’t Buy A Thrill, and over the next year fans can expect reissues of 1974’s Pretzel Logic, 1975’s The Royal Scam, 1977’s Platinum-selling Aja and 1980’s Gaucho.

Released in July 1973, Countdown To Ecstasy was the first Steely Dan album to feature Donald Fagan singing lead on every song. It features such tunes as “Bodhisattva,” “Show Biz Kids” and “My Old School.”

The Countdown to Ecstasy vinyl is available for preorder now.

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Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band have added some new dates to their upcoming Spring tour, which kicks off May 19 in Temecula, California.

They’ve added four new shows to the trek — May 23 in Long Beach, California; May 30 in Prescott Valley, Arizona; June 4 in Woodinville, Washington; and June 10 in Jacksonville, Oregon. The tour is set to run through June 17 in San Jose, California.

“The joy for me about touring is playing live to an audience with the All Starr Band, so I’m always happy when we can add some more dates,” Ringo shares. “See you in May!”

For the new tour, Ringo’s All-Starr Band will be made up of Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Edgar Winter, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart and Gregg Bissonette.

A complete list of dates can be found at RingoStarr.com.

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