Classic Rock News

When it comes to the sin of helping to invent punk rock, Iggy Pop still ain’t got time to make no apology.

The highly influential Stooges Raw Power album turns 50 Wednesday. Released on February 7, 1973, Raw Power didn’t exactly set the charts on fire at first, but proved to be instrumental in pioneering the burgeoning punk scene.

Raw Power was the third Stooges album, following 1969’s self-titled debut and 1970’s Fun House, but was the first to be credited to Iggy & the Stooges. Along with Pop on lead vocals, the record featured guitarist James Williamson, and brothers Ron and Scott Asheton on bass and drums, respectively. It was co-produced and mixed by David Bowie.

Having built a reputation for wild stage antics, Iggy’s energy is felt throughout Raw Power, beginning with the album opener “Search and Destroy,” in which Pop memorably yelps, “Look out, honey, ’cause I’m using technology” and “I’m the world’s forgotten boy.”

By 1974, the Stooges had broken up, but their impact had been made. The sound and ferocity of Raw Power paved the way for the explosion of punk rock in the mid-’70s, and Iggy is now known as the Godfather of Punk.

Following the demise of the Stooges, Pop went solo, and memorably reunited with Bowie for the 1977 albums Lust for Life and The Idiot.

Eventually, Iggy reunited with the Asheton brothers in 2003 and they released a new album, The Weirdness, in 2007. Following Ron Asheton’s death in 2009, the Stooges were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. Williamson rejoined for one final album, 2013’s Ready to Die. Scott Asheton died in 2014.

A remastered edition of Raw Power was released last week in honor of its 50th anniversary.

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Girl From the North Country, the Broadway musical featuring songs from Bob Dylan’s catalog, is coming to the big screen. 

Variety reports that Woody Harrelson, Olivia Coleman and Chloe Bailey have been cast in the movie adaptation of the musical, which follows a group of Midwestern travelers during the Depression who cross paths at a guest house. 

Conor McPherson, who wrote the stage show, is set to write and direct the film with Dylan’s blessing. “To be associated with Conor is one of the highlights of my professional life,” Dylan said in a statement. “It goes without saying the man is a genius for putting this thing together and I’m thrilled to be a part of the experience. My songs couldn’t be in better hands.”

After an original run in London, Girl From the North Country opened off Broadway in 2018, then moved to Broadway in March 2020 before being shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened in October 2021 and closed for good in June of that year.

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The Rolling Stones are out with another peek at their upcoming release, GRRR Live!, which drops Friday.

The rockers just released a video for “Doom and Gloom,” which was the first single released from the band’s 2012 album, GRRR!, a compilation celebrating their 50th anniversary. At the time it was the first song the band recorded together in almost seven years. 

The video is a performance clip from their December 15, 2012, concert at Newark’s Prudential Center, which was part of their 50 & Counting tour, celebrating the anniversary. 

GRRR Live! is the first audio release of the concert, which featured guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, John Mayer, Gary Clark Jr., Mick Taylor and The Black Keys. It’s being released in a variety of formats, including a two-CD set, a three-LP set (classic black, limited red and a white indie exclusive), digital, a DVD and two-CD combo set, and a Blu-ray and two-CD combo set.

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A funeral for the late guitarist Jeff Beck was held Friday in London with several A-list stars in attendance, including Rod Stewart, Johnny Depp and Jimmy Page.

Metro UK reports Stewart paid his respects to Beck with a bouquet of white roses in the shape of a heart, alongside a handwritten note in which he called Beck a “guitar genius.” “It was a privilege to perform alongside a proper guitar genius,” the note read. “Rest In Peace. See ya later Jeff, Sir Rod Stewart.”

The service took place at St Mary’s Church in Beddington, Sutton. Other famous faces who paid their respects to Beck include Tom Jones, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and Sir Bob Geldof.

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There are some who have compared Harry Styles to the late icon David Bowie, but someone who knows Bowie pretty well doesn’t agree at all.

Consequence reports that music producer Tony Visconti, who worked with Bowie for years and produced his final album, 2016’s Blackstar, shot down any such comparisons between Bowie and Styles in a Facebook post about Sunday night’s Grammy Awards.

“What’s the difference between the Grammys and Las Vegas? Nothing!” he wrote in the post, which has since been taken down. He later commented, “Someone just told me that Harry Styles is the new Bowie? From what I saw tonight he’s not worthy of shining his shoes.”

Whether he’s the new Bowie or not, Styles did have a pretty great Grammy night, winning Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Harry’s House.

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Sheryl Crow was part of the beautiful and emotional tribute to the late Fleetwood Mac star Christine McVie at Sunday’s Grammys, but apparently the performance didn’t go off without a hitch. Crow reveals on Instagram there were problems with her piano during the performance, which also featured Bonnie Raitt and Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood.

“Beautiful Christine! Last night during our tribute, something really strange happened. I sat down to play with @bonnieraittofficial and @mickfleetwoodofficial and the piano was not working right,” Crow shares. “I still cannot wrap my brain around it because I’ve never had it happen but the clock started for Mick and the first chord I played, only a couple of notes at a time would play. At one point, the piano in our ears was in a different key than what I was playing!” 

Sheryl says folks behind the scenes quickly noticed the problem so what the audience heard sounded “completely normal,” but it still left her disappointed.

But soon Sheryl had a new outlook on the mishap. She notes, “Mick and I decided after the performance that perhaps Christine might be up there sipping champagne and giggling, having been a keyboard player herself.”

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Ozzy Osbourne has shared his reaction to winning two awards at Sunday’s Grammys.

The Prince of Darkness earned Best Rock Album for his latest solo effort, Patient Number 9, and Best Metal Performance for “Degradation Rules,” featuring Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi.

In a press statement reflecting on his Grammy victory, Ozzy declares, “I’m one lucky motherf***er.”

“I was blessed to work with some of the greatest musicians in the world and Andrew Watt as my producer on this album,” Ozzy says. “Winning the Best Metal Performance was equally gratifying being that the song featured my longtime friend and Black Sabbath bandmate, Tony Iommi.”

The Grammy wins were undoubtedly a bright spot during a tough week for Ozzy, who announced last Wednesday that his long-delayed European and United Kingdom tour would be canceled due to the lingering effects from a fall he suffered in 2019, which has required extensive surgery and recovery time.

“Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way,” he said.

Ozzy was also nominated for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance with the Patient Number 9 title track, which features the late Jeff Beck. Americana artist Brandi Carlile won both awards with her song “Broken Horses.”

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Van Morrison is the latest artist headed to Las Vegas. The “Moondance” singer just announced a three-night stand at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

The three shows are set for September 6, 8 and 9, with tickets going on sale Friday, February 10, at 10 a.m. PT.

The new dates come as the 77-year-old Morrison is getting ready to release his new studio album, Moving On Skiffle, on March 10. In addition to the Vegas dates, he has a few European shows lined up to promote the release, including March 13, 14 and 15 at The Stables in Milton Keynes, England, and April 6 and 7 at Whitla Hall in Belfast, Ireland.

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Items from Paul McCartney, Fleetwood Mac, Joe Perry and more brought in big bucks at the annual MusiCares Charity Relief Auction, which was held at Julien’s Auction House in Beverly Hills this weekend.

Big sellers included a personally signed copy of McCartney’s The Lyrics book, which sold for $25,600, 25 times more than expected, as well as a Rolling Stones signed 2022 60th anniversary European tour poster, which brought in $16,000, 16 times its original estimate.

Other items that brought in the big bucks include: a Joe Perry stage-played and signed Gibson Les Paul electric guitar, which went for $25,000; Fleetwood Mac’s band-signed MusiCares Person of the Year Gibson Les Paul, which was purchased for $19,200; a signed SG Electric guitar that belonged to Ozzy Osbourne, which sold for $19,200; Joni Mitchell’s original print of Jimi Hendrix, signed by Mitchell, which sold for $10,240; and a black Epiphone acoustic guitar from the 2015 celebration of honoree Bob Dylan, signed by the artists who paid tribute to him, including John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen, which sold for $12,800. 

The auction also featured items from Robert Plant, Sting, Don Felder, David Lee Roth and others.

Proceeds from the auction benefit MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s charity arm that provides health and human services to the music community.

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Dead Kennedys aren’t happy about the Grammys leaving late drummer D.H. Peligro out of its “In Memoriam” tribute segment during Sunday’s ceremony.

Peligro, born Darren Henley, played with the long-running punk outfit over several stints from 1981 up until his death last October. He also briefly joined Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1988.

In a tweet Sunday night, Dead Kennedys wrote, “Hey [Recording Academy] you forgot someone who influenced more musicians than half the people you listed.”

“Get with the times please,” they added.

Though Peligro was left out of the video tribute, his name is listed on the Recording Academy’s online “In Memoriam” list.

Modest Mouse drummer Jeremiah Green, who passed away last December, was also left out of the video.

Among those who were included were Fleetwood Mac‘s Christine McVie, Jeff Beck, Television‘s Tom Verlaine and David Crosby.

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