Classic Rock News

On Wednesday, Carlos Santana released his new collaborative single with Matchbox Twenty‘s Rob Thomas, “Move,” which will appear on Santana‘s upcoming studio album, Blessings and Miracles.

“Move” arrives 22 years after Santana and Thomas teamed up for the massively successful hit “Smooth,” and at a New York City press event Wednesday, Rob explained via Zoom that the reason it took so long for Carlos and him to reunite for a follow-up tune was that it “had to happen naturally,” like “Smooth” did.

Thomas revealed that “Move” came about while he was working on material with the New York-based rock group American Authors, who also contributed to the track.

“[A]t the tail end of that session, [they sent] me a track and [said]…’See if you can do something with this,'” Rob recalled. “And…it just hit me immediately. The chorus came out, I sent it to Carlos immediately…Carlos is like, ‘Oh, this is beautiful. I want to do this. This sounds great.'”

Carlos, who attended the press gathering in person, shared that “Move” “has the two components that I love, being in a physical body — spirituality and sensuality.”

He added, “I feel very grateful and very confident that…Rob and I [get to] reach the four corners of the world again and make a lot of families happy.”

Santana and Thomas also will reach lots of people when they hit the stage together Saturday in New York City’s Central Park at the star-studded We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert.

Musing about the show and its theme, celebrating New York’s revival in the COVID pandemic’s wake, Carlos said, “I feel that New Yorkers need…a spiritual boost. Like a dog shakes water…we have to ward off and shake off fear and darkness and…anger.”

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The Eagles are set to launch their “Hotel California” 2021 Tour this Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and in celebration of the trek, the band’s Live at The Forum ’76 concert album will be released on vinyl for the first time on November 12.

The album, which features 10 performances recorded at the famed Los Angles-area venue in the fall of 1976, previously was only available on CD and digitally as part of the 40th anniversary reissue of the Hotel California album that was released in 2017.

The two-LP set, which you can pre-order now, is pressed on 180-gram vinyl and features three sides of music, plus an etching on the collection’s fourth and final side.

Live at The Forum ’76 was recorded during a three-night stand that the Eagles played at the venue in October of 1976. The shows, which took place two months before Hotel California‘s release, featured some of the earliest live performances of songs from the album, including the classic title track and “New Kid in Town.”

Besides those two tunes, Live at The Forum features renditions of earlier Eagles classics like “Take It Easy,” “Take It to the Limit,” “Witchy Woman,” “One of These Nights” and “Already Gone,” plus a version of guitarist  Joe Walsh‘s James Gang gem “Funk #49.”

As previously reported, the Eagles’ Hotel California 2021 Tour will feature the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers performing the Hotel California album in full, accompanied by an orchestra and a choir, followed by a set of the band’s greatest hits. The U.S. trek is mapped out through a November 5-6 stand in Seattle.

Visit Eagles.com to check out their full tour schedule.

Here’s the Live at The Forum ’76 two-LP set’s track list:

LP One

Side A
“Take It Easy”
“Take It to the Limit”
“New Kid in Town”

Side B
“James Dean”
“Good Day in Hell”
“Witchy Woman”
“Funk #49”

LP Two

Side A
“One of These Nights”
“Hotel California”
“Already Gone”

Side B
Etching

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Foo Fighters are set to receive the inaugural U.S. Global Icon Award at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards.

The prize will recognize Dave Grohl and company for their “unparalleled career and continued impact and influence [that] has maintained a unique level of global success in music and beyond.”

The Global Icon Award has previously been given out by the MTV Europe Music Awards. Past winners include Green Day, Ozzy Osbourne, U2, Queen, Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston.

Along with the honor, the Foos will perform at this year’s VMAs, marking their first set at the ceremony since 2007. They’re also nominated in three categories: Best Rock, Best Choreography and Best Cinematography, all for the “Shame Shame” video.

The 2021 MTV VMAs will air September 12.

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Stevie Nicks has opened up in a new interview about her past struggle with drug addiction and how she was able to “save” herself.

Speaking with country star Tim McGraw on Apple Music’s Beyond the Influence Radio show Wednesday, as reported by People, the 73-year-old  Fleetwood Mac frontwoman admitted that she experimented with drugs when discussing what topics she’d avoid if given the opportunity to write her memoir.  She also made it clear that drugs are no longer part of her life.

“I managed to save myself. I got through some pretty scary moments, but I saved me,” she declared, noting how she relied on herself and “nobody else” to get herself through her darkest moments. “I survived me. I survived my cocaine. I survived by myself.”

Nicks continued, “I checked myself into rehab. Nobody did that for me. I did it and that’s like with my whole life.”

As for why she’d rather not go into full detail about that part of her life should it ever be put on paper, the “Dreams” singer said, “I would dance over those parts just to give the wisdom out to people.”

Nicks is considering writing her own memoir, but told McGraw that she doesn’t think one book would be enough to hold everything that’s happened to her. Instead, she may tell her life story across four installments.

“I think that what I would do first, and only lately have I thought this, I might sit down at some point across the kitchen table with some of my girlfriends who have been there for a lot of it and put on a tape recorder and just start talking from the very beginning,” she said.

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If your board game time needs a heavier soundtrack, then Iron Maiden is here for you.

The metal legends have dropped a new song called “Stratego,” a track off their upcoming album Senjutsu. While there aren’t specific mentions of flags, bombs or spies, the tune does include lyrics such as “Teach me the art of war” and “Spills of a crying nation upon my soul.”

You can listen to “Stratego” now via digital outlets.

Senjutsu, Iron Maiden’s 17th studio album and its first since 2015’s The Book of Souls, is due out September 3, and can be pre-ordered now. It also includes the previously released single “The Writing on the Wall.”

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Neil Young has announced that he’s decided not to perform at the Farm Aid 2021 festival scheduled for September 25 at Xfinity Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut, citing his concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In a message posted on NeilYoungArchives.com, the 75-year-old rock legend writes, “Lots is going on in our world right now. I find myself wondering whether [Farm Aid] will be safe for everyone with the Covid pandemic surging…I don’t want to let anybody down, but still can’t shake the feeling that it might not be safe for everyone. I worry about audiences coming together in these times.”

He continues, “All you people who can’t go to a concert because you still don’t feel safe, I stand with you. I don’t want you to see me playing and think it’s safe now. I don’t want to play until you feel safe, and it is indeed…safe.”

Young adds, “My soul tells me it would be wrong to risk having anyone die because they wanted to hear music and be with friends… Since we know vaccinated people can catch and spread Covid, I worry about the children who could become infected after [Farm Aid], just by being with someone, maybe a parent, who caught the virus at [Farm Aid] and didn’t know it.”

Neil, who traditionally co-headlines the annual event with fellow Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews, notes, “While I respect Willie, John and Dave’s decisions to stick with it and play, I am not of the same mind. It is a tough call.”

Other artists on the 2021 Farm Aid bill include Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Margo Price, Sturgill Simpson, Bettye LaVette and Jamey Johnson. The concert is sold out.

For more info, visit FarmAid.com.

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Foghat is commemorating the 20th anniversary of 9/11 by offering free tickets to all police officers, firefighters and emergency medical service workers who’d like to attend the band’s concert this September 11 at the Paramount theater in Huntington, New York.

The offer is good for both active and retired workers, and tickets can be reserved by visiting Foghat.biz. The free passes can be picked up at the “Will Call” window at the venue.  ID will be required.

Foghat’s 2021 tour schedule runs through a November 27 show in Hiawassee, Georgia, and the band also has a few 2022 dates on the books. Visit Foghat.com for more information.

Meanwhile, the “Slow Ride” rockers released a new live album and concert video last month called 8 Days on the Road in celebration of the group’s 50th anniversary. The collection, which is available as a two-CD/DVD package and digitally, documents a November 2019 performance at the Daryl Hall-owned Daryl’s House club in Pawling, New York.

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The Rolling Stones have confirmed plans to release an expanded 40th anniversary version of their chart-topping 1981 album Tattoo You.

The reissue, which will be available in multiple formats and configurations, will arrive on October 22, and will feature nine previously tracks from that period. One of the unheard tracks, a rollicking rock tune “Living in the Heart of Love,” has been released as an advance digital single.

All versions of the Tattoo You reissue will feature a newly remastered version of the original 11-track albums, which includes such hits and gems as “Start Me Up,” “Waiting on a Friend,” “Hang Fire,” “Little T&A” and “Neighbours.”

The Super Deluxe edition will be available as either a four-CD or five-LP vinyl set. It includes the nine unreleased tracks gathered on one CD or two-LP under the title Lost & Found: Rarities, plus a two-disc live collection dubbed Still Life: Wembley Stadium 1982, featuring a 26-song performance by The Stones at the famed London venue.

Lost & Found also features covers of the 1963 Jimmy Reed song “Shame, Shame, Shame” and Dobie Gray‘s soulful hit 1973 ballad “Drift Away,” as well as a reggae-flavored rendition of “Star Me Up.” The tracks have been enhanced with newly added vocals and guitars.

Still Life: Wembley Stadium 1982 was recorded in June of that year during the Tattoo You tour, and features performances of various Stones classics, select covers like Eddie Cochran‘s “Twenty Flight Rock” and The Big Bopper‘s “Chantilly Lace”; and several songs from Tattoo You.

The box sets also come with a 124-page book featuring hundreds of 200 rare photos, interviews and more.

You can pre-order the reissue now. Here’s the track list of the four-CD version:

CD 1: Tattoo You (2021 Remaster)
“Start Me Up”
“Hang Fire”
“Slave”
“Little T&A”
“Black Limousine”
“Neighbours”
“Worried About You”
“Tops”
“Heaven”
“No Use in Crying”
“Waiting on a Friend”

CD 2: Lost & Found: Rarities
“Living in the Heart of Love”
“Fiji Jim”
“Troubles a’ Comin”
“Shame Shame Shame”
“Drift Away”
“It’s a Lie”
“Come to the Ball”
“Fast Talking Slow Walking”
“Start Me Up” (Early Version)

CD 3: Still Life (Wembley Stadium Concert 1982)
“Under My Thumb”
“When the Whip Comes Down”
“Let’s Spend the Night Together”
“Shattered”
“Neighbours”
“Black Limousine”
“Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)”
“Twenty Flight Rock”
“Going to a Go Go”
“Chantilly Lace”
“Let Me Go”
“Time Is on My Side”
“Beast of Burden”
“Let It Bleed”

CD 4: Still Life (Wembley Stadium Concert 1982)
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
Band Introductions
“Little T&A”
“Tumbling Dice”
“She’s So Cold”
“Hang Fire”
“Miss You”
“Honky Tonk Women”
“Brown Sugar”
“Start Me Up”
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”

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Police guitarist Andy Summers‘ first fiction book, Fretted and Moaning: Short Stories, a collection of 45 short tales that all in some way involve a guitar, was published today.

The stories, which are filled with dark humor, ironic twists and whimsy, involve a wide range of characters and scenarios set in various locations and time periods.

Summers tells ABC Audio that featuring a guitar in every tale “was a way for me simply to present myself yet again to the public as a writer, but not…go so far out that [readers] go, ‘We don’t know this guy at all.'”

He adds, “So I’d include a guitar in each story somehow, but it wasn’t really about the guitar. It was about the characters, the way their lives would revolve and be involved maybe somewhat around the instrument.”

While many of the stories focus on rock musicians, Fretted and Moaning also includes tales about country singers, 1930s jazz musicians, gangsters, painters and even cowboys and Indians.

In many of the tales, things don’t end well for the main character.

“The idea is that they’re sort of dark comic tales,” Andy explains. “Most of them have got a tragic ending, you know…[T]hat’s my English sense of irony.”

As for how much of the book is based in reality, Summers notes, “Some of [the stories] are really made up completely. [With others,] someone might [tell me] an anecdote and I go, ‘Oh, let me see if I could…really broaden that out into a thing.”

Three hardcover versions of Fretted and Moaning are available now at AndySummersBook.com — a standard “Classic” edition, a signed “Signature” version and the “Ultimate” edition. Copies of the “Ultimate” version are signed and numbered by Summers and are packaged with a limited photo print.

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Last month, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood told The Times of London that he and Mick Jagger had been working on tracks that will be featured on an upcoming reissue of the band’s 1981 album, Tattoo You, and now it appears that details of that release will be announced on Thursday.

The Rolling Stones have posted a somewhat cryptic message on their social media sites that features a poster with cartoonish drawings labeled with various songs titles from the album, along with a note that reads, “‘Tattoo You’ 2021 Flash Sale…August 19th, 2PM BST/9AM EST…RSVP Now!…Get Ready to Be ReInked.”

The message is captioned, “Which would you get? Thursday 2pm BST/9am EST,” and includes a link to a webpage that let’s fans sign up for The Stones’ mailing list “to be the first for all future news & updates!” and asks for a first name and an email address.

So, judging by the posts, it looks like The Rolling Stones plan to announce official information about a 40th anniversary Tattoo You reissue at 9 a.m. ET tomorrow.

Tattoo You was released on August 24, 1981, and featured such hits as “Start Me Up,” “Waiting on a Friend” and “Hang Fire.” It spent nine straight weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, and went on to sell over 4 million copies in the U.S.

Which would you get? 🖤
Thursday 2pm BST / 9AM EST… https://t.co/ZhKUna5TZ2 pic.twitter.com/47LxhyykvP

— The Rolling Stones (@RollingStones) August 17, 2021

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