Classic Rock News

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

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A new illustrated biographical book about the late Jimi Hendrix geared toward young readers aged 7 to 11 will be published on October 19.

Song for Jimi: The Story of Guitar Legend Jimi Hendrix is a 56-page book that’s described as “a lyrical account” of Hendrix’s life.

Written by author Charles R. Smith Jr., the book tells Hendrix’s story through a series of rhythmic verses, and is enhanced by the psychedelic artwork of TIME art director Edel Rodriguez. Song for Jimi includes sections focusing on Hendrix’s turbulent childhood, his historic performances at the Monterey Pop and Woodstock festival, and more, while looking at the influential musician’s struggles as he forged an uncompromising path through his life.

“I wanted to celebrate a unique individual who inspired me,” writes Smith, who became a passionate fan of Hendrix while he attending art school. As the school’s youngest and only Black student, Smith says he felt a kinship with Jimi as an outsider. The author is hoping the book inspires other young creative people, and also helps introduce Hendrix’s music to new fans.

You can pre-order Song for Jimi: The Story of Guitar Legend Jimi Hendrix now.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A new book featuring candid photos taken by Go-Go’s drummer Gina Schock during her 40-year music career will be published on October 26, just days before the band is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

In Made in Hollywood: All Access with the Go-Go’s, Schock takes fans through a photographic journey through the all-female groups history, using a treasure trove of personal pics, as well as images of posters, memorabilia and more from the band’s archives.

The book also features essays from all five Go-Go’s members — Gina, singer Belinda Carlisle, guitarist Jane Wiedlin, guitarist/keyboardist Charlotte Caffey and bassist Kathy Valentine — as well as from such famous fans as The B-52s‘ Kate Pierson, Jodie Foster, Eurythmics‘ Dave Stewart, MTV VJ Martha Quinn, and Paul “Pee Wee Herman” Reubens.

“I truly had no idea that I was to become the Go-Go’s archivist,” Schock notes. “I’ve always loved photography, so taking photos of the band was a natural process. When you check out this book, I hope you feel like you were right there with me over the last forty years. From Baltimore to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, what a trip this has been.”

Made in Hollywood also features a foreword penned by Valentine, who notes that as the Go-Go’s drummer, Schock “gives the songs identifiable hooks — instantly recognizable, the heartbeat and life-force of a track.”

You can pre-order the book now by visiting BlackDogandLeventhal.com.

The Go-Go’s will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on October 30 in Cleveland, along with Todd Rundgren, Carole King, Tina Turner, Foo Fighters, JAY-Z and others.

The band also has lined up a series of West Coast concerts in late December 2021 and early January 2022.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger‘s younger brother, veteran singer/songwriter Chris Jagger, will release a new studio album called Mixing Up the Medicine on September 10, and also will publish a memoir titled Talking to Myself the same day.

Mick has contributed some backing vocals to Chris’ album, which features several songs that the younger Jagger wrote with his frequent collaborator Charlie Hart, a multi-instrumentalist who also has played with late Faces bassist Ronnie Lane and Wreckless Eric.

Mixing Up the Medicine, which you can pre-order now, also features three songs with lyrics taken from poems by an obscure 19th-century poet named Thomas Beddoes that Chris set to music.

Among the other musicians featured on the album are one-time Who touring percussionist Jody Linscott and drummer Dylan Howe, son of Yes guitarist Steve Howe.

Chris has already released a few tunes from Mixing Up the Medicine as advance digital tracks, including “Talking to Myself,” a song inspired by his autobiography.

In the book, Chris delves in to his life story, including his childhood with older brother Mick, the siblings’ mutual appreciation of the blues, his own musical adventures and his travels around the world.

Talking to Myself will be the first autobiography from a member of the Jagger family, but Chris says that while he was working on it, he encouraged Mick to write his own.

“I said to [Mick], ‘I’ve almost finished my book, now let’s do yours’ and he laughed,” Chris reveals. “He’d do a fantastic book.”

Reflecting on his experience writing the memoir, Chris notes that “writing can be quite prosaic and descriptive. It doesn’t have to be all poetry. I have even included some recipes in [my book] too.”

You can check out an excerpt from the book at AmericanSongwriter.com.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Carlos Santana has announced details of his new album, Blessings and Miracles, which is set to be released on October 15.

The star-studded track list features the album’s first single, “Move,” which re-teams Santana with his “Smooth” collaborator Rob Thomas. “Move” is out today.

The album’s second single, a track called “She’s Fire,” was written by Diane Warren and features rapper G-Eazy.

Blessings and Miracles also features collaborations with Steve Winwood, Kirk Hammett, country star Chris Stapleton, pop star Ally Brooke and more.

“The title of this album comes from my belief that we’re born with heavenly powers that allows us to create blessings and miracles,” Santana says in a statement. “The world programs you to be unworthy of those gifts, but we have to utilize light, spirit and soul — they’re indestructible and immutable. Those are the three main elements on this album.”

On August 25, Santana resumes his Las Vegas residency and on September 11, he’ll kick off his Blessings and Miracles tour at the Borgata Spa & Resort in Atlantic City, NJ.

You can pre-order Blessings and Miracles now. Here is the track list:

“Ghost of Future Pull”/”New Light”
“Santana Celebration”
“Rumbalero” (featuring Salvador Santana & Asdru Sierra)
“Joy” (Carlos Santana & Chris Stapleton)
“Move” (Carlos Santana, Rob Thomas, Zac Barnett & American Authors)
“A Whiter Shade of Pale” (featuring Steve Winwood)
“Break” (featuring Ally Brooke)
“She’s Fire” (Diane Warren, G-Eazy & Carlos Santana)
“Peace Power” (featuring Corey Glover)
“America for Sale” (featuring Kirk Hammett & Marc Osegueda)
“Breathing Underwater” (featuring Stella Santana, Avi Snow, MVCA)
“Mother Yes”
“Song for Cindy”
“Angel Choir” (featuring Gayle Moran Corea)/ “All Together” (featuring Chick Corea)
“Ghost of Future Pull II”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

An updated version of Rush‘s 2019 screening event Cinema Strangiato will be shown in select theaters for one night only on September 9 in honor of the 40th anniversary of the legendary Canadian prog rockers’ 1981 album, Moving Pictures.

Rush: Cinema Strangiato — Director’s Cut will feature an alternate version of the film, which boasts highlights from the 2015 concert film R40 Live, plus behind-the-scenes segments and soundcheck footage.

The updated flick features bonus performances of “One Little Victory” and “Red Barchetta,” as well as the Neil Peart drum medley “Cygnus X-1″/”The Story So Far,” which is described as Neil’s “final recorded drum solo masterpiece.”

R40 Live features performances filmed in 2015 at a number of stops on Rush’s 40th anniversary trek, which turned out to be the band’s farewell tour. Peart died of brain cancer in January 2020.

Cinema Strangiato also includes interviews with The Smashing Pumpkins‘ Billy Corgan, Foo Fighters‘ Taylor Hawkins, Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello, The Trailer Park Boys, Rush producer Nick Raskulinecz, and others.

Tickets for Cinema Strangiato — Director’s Cut are on sale now in the U.S. at CinemaStrangiato.com. Tickets will be available for screenings in Canada on September 1.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

This month, Metallica released a single as part of their Vinyl Club subscription service featuring recordings from their performance at the Chris Cornell I Am the Highway tribute concert in 2019. The release was noticed by the late Soundgarden frontman’s widow, Vicky Cornell, who shared her gratitude toward the metal legends.

“Thank you so much to Metallica for the love and appreciation that you have shown for Chris and for memorializing that love, admiration and support from your performances at the I Am the Highway tribute on this truly amazing and special vinyl,” Vicky wrote in an Instagram post, which is also credited to her children Toni and Christopher.

“Joining the tribute concert meant so much to me and my children and to so many fans around the world,” the post continues. “I know how proud Chris would be, not only because you were there as his friends, but also because he was such a huge Metallica fan.”

Vicky also thanked drummer Lars Ulrich in particular for his comments about her husband.

“Thank you so much and thank you @larsulrich for your very kind words about Chris,” she wrote. “It is true that ‘a man is not dead while his name is still spoken.’ Thank you for continuing to honor him.”

The Vinyl Club single features Metallica’s performances of the Soundgarden songs “All Your Lies” and “Head Injury.”

In related news, Metallica has released a new unboxing video for the upcoming Black Album 30th anniversary deluxe reissue, due out September 10. The clip features former bassist Jason Newsted opening and commenting on the package.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Vicky Cornell (@vickycornell)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On August 6, in celebration of the release of the 50th anniversary reissues of the late George Harrison‘s 1970 album All Things Must Pass, a temporary living-art installation depicting the album’s cover opened at London’s Duke of York Square.

Now, a mini documentary about the creation of the installation, featuring appearances by George’s son, Dhani, and widow, Olivia, has premiered at Harrison’s official YouTube channel.

The All Things Must Pass cover features a photo of George seated on a stool on the lawn of his Friar Park estate outside of London, surrounded by several garden-gnome statues. For the installation, which will remain open until August 20, celebrated floral artist Ruth Davis created two giant gnomes out of flowers and foliage.

The display also features a wooden stool and oversized rubber gardening boots, similar to the ones Harrison wears in the album’s cover pic.

The documentary features an interview with Dhani at Friar Park discussing his father’s passion for gardening at the estate, noting that “the connection with nature…that’s how he meditated and prayed.”

Dhani also explains how the florist was given a tour of Friar Park’s grounds and conferred with Olivia Harrison about the types of foliage to use for the display, “trying to deconstruct Friar Park and then build it in the center of London as a gnome.”

The video ends with Olivia visiting the finished installation.

Checking out the display, Olivia gushes, “It’s the most joyous thing I’ve ever seen!”

She then notes, “I know how I feel so I know that George [would]…be over the moon with this. He loved nothing more than being in a garden, and his association with gnomes precedes him. It’s beautiful and skillful…and it’s very creative.”

The All Things Must Pass reissues are available now.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler‘s Janie’s Fund charity has partnered with the CITIZEN-T project and visual artist Brian Fox to offer a limited-edition designer T-shirt featuring a portrait of the rock legend, each one signed by Tyler.

Only 100 shirts are available, priced at $300, and money raised by the sale will benefit the Janie’s Fund’s LifeSet program, which provides therapeutic support for young women between the ages of 17 and 22 that have experienced various forms of abuse.

The T-shirts are previously used or recycled items that are given new life with the Tyler portrait art, and are presented in zero-waste packaging. You can buy the shirts now at JaniesFund.org; purchases are limited to five per person.

“The fusion of art, sustainable fashion and recovery is perfectly aligned with our values,” says Janie’s Fund executive Richard Shaw. “We’ve been fortunate to partner with artist Brian Fox since Janie’s Fund was launched in 2015, and this CITIZEN-T collaboration is directly bringing our passion forward to create more awareness to this issue that Steven cares deeply about.”

Adds CITIZEN-T founder Stephanie Dillon, “Many of us have been inspired by Aerosmith’s artistry for years but this work to bring awareness and raise funds to help others overcome their trauma is something I’m deeply connected to, and it’s so very timely and needed. We hope this is just the first of what will be many collaborations to help girls and the environment heal.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

What happens when you mix “Vasoline” with “Glycerine”? Well, we’ll find out this fall.

Stone Temple Pilots and Bush have announced a co-headlining tour that’s set to kick off September 30 in Mesa, Arizona. Tickets go on sale this Friday, August 20, at 10 a.m. local time.

The trek is scheduled to run through an October 17 show in Oklahoma City. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit BushOfficial.com or StoneTemplePilots.com.

STP just released a 25th anniversary reissue of their 1996 album Tiny Music…Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop last month. The group’s most recent new effort is 2020’s Perdida.

Bush’s latest album, The Kingdom, dropped last summer. It includes the single “Flowers on a Grave.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.