Classic Rock News

Thirty years ago today, September 17, Guns N’ Roses simultaneously released their third and fourth studio albums, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II.

With the band riding high after the massive success of its 1987 debut, Appetite for Destruction, and its popular 1988 follow-up, G N’ R Lies, Use Your Illusion I and II debuted at #2 and #1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Former GN’R drummer Matt Sorum, who joined the group just as they were starting to record the albums, tells ABC Audio that most of the band initially thought they were going to make a single record featuring 12 or 13 songs.

“We ended up recording 34, I believe,” Sorum recalls. “When we did that…[frontman] Axl [Rose] was the one that came in and said, ‘Let’s put it all out. I want to release it all.’ And we’re like, ‘What?!'”

Sorum says it also was Rose’s idea for the two albums to have identical covers, with the only difference being the color schemes — Use Your Illusion I is red and yellow and II is blue and purple.

Use Your Illusion I features two top-10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, “Don’t Cry” and “November Rain,” which reached #3 and #10, respectively. Use Your Illusion II includes one Hot 100 hit, “You Could Be Mine,” which peaked at #29.

Each album features a well-known cover song — Paul McCartney & Wings‘ “Live and Let Die” and Bob Dylan‘s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” appear on I and II, respectively. GN’R’s version of “Live and Let Die” peaked at #33 on the Hot 100.

The albums both have gone on to be certified seven-times platinum by the RIAA for amassing seven million sales units.

Here’s the Use Your Illusion I track list:

“Right Next Door to Hell”
“Dust N’ Bones”
“Live and Let Die”
“Don’t Cry” (Original)
“Perfect Crime”
“You Ain’t the First”
“Bad Obsession”
“Back Off Bitch”
“Double Talkin’ Jive”
“November Rain”
“The Garden” — featuring Alice Cooper
“Garden of Eden”
“Don’t Damn Me”
“Bad Apples”
“Dead Horse”
“Coma”

And here’s the Use Your Illusion II track list:

“Civil War”
“14 Years”
“Yesterdays”
“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”
“Get in the Ring”
“Shotgun Blues”
“Breakdown”
“Pretty Tied Up” (“The Perils of Rock n’ Roll Decadence”)
“Locomotive” (“Complicity”)
“So Fine”
“Estranged”
“You Could Be Mine”
“Don’t Cry” (Alternate Lyrics)
“My World”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A special Queen-themed pop-up store celebrating the band’s five-decade history will open later this month on London’s famed Carnaby Street.

The shop, called Queen The Greatest, will open its doors on Tuesday, September 28, and will close in January 2022. The store will feature variety of limited-edition music releases, apparel collaborations, lifestyle products, jewelry and more, with new items made available and special events scheduled each week.

The two-floor shop will feature areas reflecting different eras in Queen history, including ’70s thrift store, ’80s concert performances and tours, ’90s record store, 2000s DVD tribute and 2010s technological concepts.

The fashion collaborations include unisex T-shirts and sweatshirts from Champion, denim items from Wrangler, and silver and gold jewelry from U.K. jewelry designer Johnny Hoxton.

Proceeds from an exclusive Freddie Mercury T-shirt sold at the store will benefit the Mercury Phoenix Trust AIDS charity founded by Brian May, Roger Taylor and Queen manager Jim Beach.

After September, each upcoming month that the shop is open in 2021 will have a theme reflecting special merch that will go on sale. October is Music Month, November is Art & Design Month, and December is Magic Month.

During October, limited-edition music releases be available at the store, including an exclusive vinyl version of Queen’s Greatest Hits compilation, as well as both new and recent solo releases from May and Taylor.

In November, the shop will be selling special items from Japanese designer Tokolo and a teddy bear from Steiff, as well as offering a first look at an upcoming Queen pinball machine.

December will see the arrival of some magical Queen-themed Christmas items, including a Rubik’s Cube, holiday apparel, cards, wrapping paper and more.

Items from the store also will be available for purchase online.

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REO Speedwagon will be the headlining performer at the 2021 edition of the Carousel Ball charity event, which will be held October 2 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

The benefit raises money for for the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes and the Children’s Diabetes Foundation.

In addition to REO Speedwagon’s performance, the black-tie affair also include a dinner, silent and live auctions, ward presentations and more. You can purchase tickets at ChildrensDiabetesFoundation.org.

The Carousel Ball was founded in 1978 by philanthropist Barbara Davis as a fundraiser for the center and foundation that she established, which focuses on diabetes research, patient support and raising awareness abut the disease.

In other news, REO Speedwagon is currently touring North America in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the band’s classic 1980 album, Hi Infidelity. Most of the dates are headlining shows, although REO also is sharing the bill with Styx at select concerts.

Visit REOSpeedwagon.com to check out the group’s full itinerary.

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Dave Mustaine apparently has some thoughts on wearing masks.

During Megadeth‘s concert Wednesday in Camden, New Jersey, Mustaine introduced the closing song “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due” by remarking how good it felt to be back playing for a crowd.

“Look around, you guys…look how wonderful this is,” Mustaine said. “We’re all here together…We’re not freaking out, and we’re not yelling at people, ‘Wear your f***ing mask.'”

In fan-shot footage of the show, which is streaming now on YouTube, you can hear members of the crowd respond in applause and cheers while someone yells “F*** Joe Biden!” and “USA! USA!”

Mustaine then added, “It starts with this kind of a sensation that we’ve built right now, when you feel together, when you feel like [there’s] strength in numbers. We feel like we are invincible. People will not be able to stop us.”

He continued, “Right now, what’s going on is tyranny. This is called tyranny. Look it up when you get home. And tyranny isn’t only in government. Tyranny right now is in the schools and tyranny is in the medical business.”

In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, especially given this summer’s rise of the Delta variant, the CDC currently advises “universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.” The CDC also recommends public indoor mask wearing for non-vaccinated individuals, and for vaccinated individuals in an “area of substantial or high transmission.”

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An expanded, 50th anniversary version of Zombies frontman Colin Blunstone‘s 1971 debut solo album, One Year, will be released November 5.

The reissue, which will be available on CD, as a two-LP vinyl set, digitally and via streaming, features the original 10-track album, plus a 14-song bonus album dubbed That Same Year.

Blunstone recorded One Year over a 12-month period following the breakup of The Zombies and their post-demise success with the single “Time of the Season.” Colin’s Zombies band mates Rod Argent and Chris White co-produced One Year, and co-wrote three of the album’s songs, while Blunstone penned four tracks.

The album also includes covers of tunes by Tim Hardin, ex-Manfred Mann singer Mike d’Abo and longtime Wings member Denny Laine.

His version of Laine’s “Say You Don’t Mind” from the album became a top-20 hit in the U.K. in ’72.

The bonus album, That Same Year, features recordings that Blunstone was preparing for possible consideration for One Year, nine of which are previously unheard.

One of the tracks, a stripped down tune called “I Won’t Let You Down” that features Argent on piano, has been released as an advance digital single.

The reissue, which you can pre-order now, features new liner notes penned by Colin, and rare photos from that time period.

Blunstone will celebrate the One Year reissue’s release with two special concerts, scheduled for November 2 in Los Angeles and November 8 in New York City. At the shows, Colin will perform the entire album live for the first time ever, accompanied by a 20-piece musical ensemble led by composer Joe Wong, and also featuring Roger Waters touring drummer Joey Waronker, Helium‘s Mary Timony and a chamber orchestra.

Here’s the One Year track list:

“She Loves The Way They Love Her”
“Misty Roses”
“Smokey Day”
“Caroline Goodbye”
“Though You Are Far Away”
“Mary Won’t You Warm My Bed”
“Her Song”
“I Can’t Live Without You”
“Let Me Come Closer to You”
“Say You Don’t Mind”

And here’s the That Same Year track list:

“Are You Ready”
“I’ve Always Had You”
“Sing Your Own Song”
“Caroline Goodbye”
“I’d Like to Get to Know You Better”
“Though You Are Far Away”
“Too Much Too Soon Last Night”
“I Wonder If You Know What You’ve Begun”
“I Won’t Let You Down”
“You Gave Me a Reason”
“I’m Coming Home”
“I Really Do Love You”
“Let Me Come Closer”
“You Really Were a Surprise”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Rod Stewart will release The Tears of Hercules — his 31st studio album and his first new record in three years — on November 12.

The 12-track collection features nine new original songs and three covers, including renditions of Johnny Cash‘s “These Are My People” and Soul Brothers Six‘s “Some Kind of Wonderful.”

In advance of the new album, Stewart has released the lead track, a country-pop gem titled “One More Time,” as a digital single, and has premiered a companion music video on his official YouTube channel.

Stewart co-wrote “One More Time” and a few other songs on The Tears of Hercules with keyboardist-songwriter Kevin Savigar, who also was Rod’s main collaborator on his three most recent previous albums. Stewart co-produced all four albums with Savigar.

Among the other standout tracks on The Tears of Hercules is “Touchline,” a song about how Rod’s father inspired his love of soccer, a passion Stewart’s passed on to his own sons.

The album also includes song titled “Born to Boogie (A Tribute to Mark Bolan),” a tune Stewart co-wrote with his touring guitarist, Emerson Swinford, as an homage to T. Rex‘s late frontman.

In the liner notes for The Tears of Hercules, Rod writes, “I’ve never said this before about any previous efforts, but I believe this is by far my best album in many a year.”

The Tears of Hercules can be pre-ordered now on CD, as a vinyl LP and in digital formats.

On the performance front, Stewart’s next concert will take place on October 2 in Sparks, Nevada, and he’ll then kick off a new series of Las Vegas residency dates at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on October 6.

Here’s The Tears of Hercules‘ full track list:

“One More Time”
“Gabriella”
“All My Days”
“Some Kind of Wonderful”
“Born to Boogie (A Tribute to Mark Bolan)”
“Kookooaramabama”
“I Can’t Imagine”
“The Tears of Hercules”
“Hold On”
“Precious Memories”
“These Are My People”
“Touchline”

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Between Dave Grohl‘s many comings-and-goings, you may have forgotten that the Foo Fighters frontman has a book coming out next month. If that’s the case, then be sure to check out a new trailer for the upcoming memoir.

The minute-long clip, streaming now on YouTube, is stuffed with photos from throughout Grohl’s life as he shares why he decided to finally put pen to paper and tell the stories of his life.

“I’ve never really been one to collect stuff, but I do collect moments,” Grohl says. “My life flashes before my eyes every single day. In writing this book, I’ve tried to capture those moments as best I can.”

The book, titled Dave Grohl: The Storyteller, is due out October 5.

Meanwhile, Grohl’s been busy with his day job fronting the Foos, who just notched another number-one hit on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart with “Making a Fire,” the current single off their new album, Medicine at Midnight.

Previous Medicine singles “Shame Shame” and “Waiting on a War” also earned the top spot on Mainstream Rock Airplay, making it the first Foos record to notch three number-one singles on that particular ranking from the same album.

Foo Fighters now have a total of 11 number-one Mainstream Rock Airplay singles, tying them with Five Finger Death Punch and Godsmack for fourth most in the chart’s 40-year history. In first place is Shinedown, with 16, followed by Three Days Grace and Van Halen with 15 and 13, respectively.

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Elton John has once again postponed his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.

The singer announced “with great sadness and a heavy heart” Thursday that he would have to reschedule his Europe and U.K. 2021 dates to 2023.

While the trek was initially halted last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this time it’s an injury that’s keeping Elton off the road.

“At the end of my summer break I fell awkwardly on a hard surface and have been in considerable pain and discomfort in my hip ever since,” he writes. “Despite intensive physio and specialist treatment, the pain has continued to get worse and is leading to increasing difficulties moving.”

He adds that he has been advised to have an operation as soon as possible “to get me back to full fitness and make sure there are no long-term complications.”

Elton, 74, will still perform at Global Citizen Live on September 25, because he says it requires limited physical demands. And if all goes well with the surgery, he plans to resume U.S. tour dates in 2022.

Elton ended with a message to his “incredible fans,” saying it breaks his heart to keep them waiting.

“I completely feel your frustrations after the year we’ve had,” he writes. “I promise you this — the shows will return to the road next year and I will make sure they are more than worth the wait.”

 

 

 

 

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Bruce Springsteen will interview his longtime friend and collaborator “Little Steven” Van Zandt for the first time ever during a virtual event on September 28 celebrating the release of the E Street Band guitarist’s new memoir, Unrequited Infatuations.

The livestreamed event will begin at 8 p.m. ET on the 28th, and tickets are available now at StevieandBruceLive.com and VanZandt.UnisonEvents.com. Tickets also include a copy of Van Zandt’s book — signed for $45 or unsigned for $35.

Fans who purchase tickets for the interview will be able to watch the event on demand for 90 days after the livestream.

In Unrequited Infatuations, Van Zandt recounts the story of his eventful life, from his childhood in suburban New Jersey and the development of his passion for rock ‘n’ roll, to playing in various Jersey Shore groups en route to joining Bruce’s E Street Band, to forging a solo career and becoming a political activist in the 1980s, to finding success as an actor as Silvio Dante on The Sopranos, to launching his Underground Garage radio show and satellite radio station, and so much more.

Little Steven’s virtual conversation with The Boss marks the launch of a promotional tour for the memoir that will include three in-person events and another virtual interview.

For more details about Unrequited Infatuations, visit HachetteBooks.com.

Here’s Van Zandt’s full book-tour schedule:

9/28 — Virtual, Premiere Unison Event, Van Zandt in conversation with Bruce Springsteen, 8 p.m. ET
9/29 — New York, NY, 92Y, Van Zandt in conversation with screenwriter Jay Cocks, 7:30 p.m. ET
9/30 — Virtual, Commonwealth Club, Van Zandt in conversation (Interviewer TBA), 8 p.m. ET
10/1 — Los Angeles, CA, Book Soup at the Colburn Music School, Van Zandt in conversation with director Chris Columbus, 7 p.m. PT
10/3 — Montclair, NJ, Montclair Literary Festival, Van Zandt in conversation with news anchor Budd Mishkin, 5 p.m. ET

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Paul McCartney will celebrate the publication of his upcoming book, The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, by taking part in a special Q&A event on November 5 in London at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall.

Tickets to attend the event, dubbed The Lyrics: Paul McCartney in Conversation, will go on sale to the general public on Friday, September 17, at 5 p.m. ET/10 a.m. local time and to Southbank Centre members starting Thursday, September 16, at 5 p.m. ET.

The event also will be livestreamed via Dice.fm, and tickets for the stream can be purchased for $14 beginning this Friday, September 17, at 5 p.m. ET. The stream will be available on demand for seven days after the event.

During the event, the former Beatles legend will discuss the book while sharing stories about his life, songs and creative process with Pulitzer Prize-winning author and poet Paul Muldoon, who edited it.

As previously reported, The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present will be released on November 2 and can be pre-ordered now. The book offers a self-portrait of McCartney while profiling 154 songs he’s written throughout his long career.

The two-volume work also will feature handwritten lyric sheets, as well as rare personal photos, drawings and rough drafts of songs. Sir Paul has penned commentary about each tune to give fans a look inside his creative process.

The songs featured in the book appear alphabetically, spanning from “All My Loving” though “Your Mother Should Know.” Also included are recently discovered lyrics to an unrecorded Beatles song, titled “Tell Me Who He Is.”

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