Classic Rock News

Journey is putting the finishing touches on their first album of new original material since 2011’s Eclipse, and according to band members Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain, the project’s got that classic Journey sound — but with a new twist.

Speaking to Cleveland.com, Schon says of the new music, “We’re moving forward…It still sounds like Journey, but there is definitely a different strut in the rhythm section with Randy and Narada” — referring to the band’s returning bass player Randy Jackson and new drummer Narada Michael Walden, respectively.

“It’s bombastic. It’s rocking. It’s majestic, and it’s soulful,” adds Schon.

The album is being worked on remotely by Schon and Walden on the West Coast, and Cain in Nashville and Florida, the band explains. “It’s typical Journey, I think,” Cain says. “We’re back to our old sound, but it’s got a little bit more on the bottom end.”

“It’s got fire. It’s just a little bit more edge to it. Neal’s playing his butt off, and it’s very driven, very cool. The songs came very interestingly. I like it a lot,” he adds.

One way the new album — which doesn’t have a release date yet — will pay tribute to Journey’s legacy is via the artwork: The package is being designed by Jim Welch, who worked on the classic Infinity, Departure and Escape albums.

The first single from the album, “The Way We Used to Be,” came out in June.

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Last week, Guns N’ Roses‘ albums Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 marked their 30th anniversaries.  While former GNR drummer Matt Sorum told ABC Audio that it was Axl Rose‘s idea to release two albums simultaneously, he’s now explained to Rolling Stone exactly why Rose came up with the idea, which he calls “genius.”

As Sorum explains, the band had about 32 songs, and he assumed they would record 20 and then pick the best 12 or 13 for an album.  Then, Axl insisted that they release all the songs, and came up with the concept of two albums with the same name, but different-colored covers.

“I was like, ‘Why? Why do we have to make them separate records?’” Sorum recalls.  But, as he explains, it was due to Axl’s experience working at Tower Records on Sunset Boulevard in L.A.

“In those days, if you had a double record, you had to put it behind the cash register. It was over 20 bucks,” Sorum says. “He wanted the records to be in the bin where you could actually hold them, pick them up.”

“When Axl came in and decided it should be a double record, it was a genius moment for him,” Sorum adds.

Sorum spoke to Rolling Stone to promote his upcoming autobiography, Double Talkin’ Jive, which Rolling Stone says has been indefinitely delayed. In the book, he describes being on tour with Slash and Duff in 2016 and hearing a rumor that GNR was going to reunite…without him.

While it hurt at the time, Sorum now says he’s “come to terms with the fact that they’re doing their own thing, and I’m doing mine,” and adds, “I feel really good about my time in the band.”

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The Rolling Stones may have just lost their legendary drummer, Charlie Watts, but they’re moving forward.   On Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET, they’re apparently releasing a video for “Living in the Heart of Love,” one of the previously unreleased tracks that will appear on the 40th Anniversary Edition of Tattoo You.

The band announced the video on social media, adding the tagline, “Charlie is my darling.”  That’s the title of a 1966 documentary about the Stones that was never released, due to legal issues and the fact that all the prints of the film were stolen from their then-manager Andrew Loog Oldham‘s office.  In 2012, a new film with restored footage called Charlie Is My Darling — Ireland 1965 was released.

The Stones posted a black-and-white clip of the video, which incorporates archival footage of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Watts in the Tattoo You era, along with new shots of young people dancing and making out, as well as a Stones record spinning on a turntable.

The video clip ends with the words “Charlie is my darling.”

The Stones’ tour kicks off September 26 in St. Louis, MO.

 

 

 

 

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Following last week’s surprise San Francisco concert, Metallica has announced another intimate, last-minute show.

Tonight, the metal legends will play the 1,100-capacity Metro club in Chicago. Tickets will cost just $20 and will only be available in-person at the venue. Proof of full COVID-19 vaccination is required.

You can start lining up at the Metro to buy tickets at 6 p.m. local time.

Last week’s S.F. show marked Metallica’s first full, live and in-person concert in 738 days. Following the Chicago stop, the band will hit this weekend’s Louder than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky, during which they’ll perform two distinct headlining sets.

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Over the weekend, Pearl Jam played their first full live show in three years at the Sea.Hear.Now Festival in New Jersey. Not only did it give the grunge icons their first chance to debut new songs from their 2020 album Gigaton, the set allowed them to introduce the newest member of their touring band: ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.

“We started working with [Klinghoffer] to…fill out some of the new songs…covering all the basses and filling in some of the words,” frontman Eddie Vedder told the crowd. Throughout the show, Klinghoffer played guitar, drums and piano.

You can watch fan-shot footage of Vedder’s introduction streaming now on YouTube.

Klinghoffer’s addition to the PJ lineup isn’t totally unexpected — he previously joined them for a virtual performance of the Gigaton single “Dance of the Clairvoyants” last year, and played in Vedder’s solo band during the VAX LIVE special this past May. He as also set to open for Pearl Jam during their 2020 tour with his solo project, Pluralone, before the outing was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pearl Jam gig comes after Klinghoffer parted ways with Chili Peppers in 2019 when longtime guitarist John Frusciante rejoined the band. He’d played with them for 10 years.

(Klinghoffer comments begin around 10:24 mark.)

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It seems as though Eric Clapton might have had a change of heart over playing shows that require proof of vaccination to enter.

As Rolling Stone notes, on Saturday, Clapton performed at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, which is following city regulations requiring all attendees 12 and over, plus staff, to show proof that they’ve been vaccinated, or provide the results of a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of the event.  All attendees must also be masked when they’re not eating or drinking.

In July, after the U.K. announced that vaccine passes would be required to attend concerts, Clapton announced, “I wish to say that I will not perform on any stage where there is a discriminated audience present. Unless there is provision made for all people to attend, I reserve the right to cancel the show.”

Over the past year, Clapton has made headlines for his anti-lockdown stance — even releasing a song about it called “This Has Gotta Stop.”  He’s also complained about what he called the “disastrous” side effects he suffered after getting the vaccine.

Rolling Stone speculates that Clapton may have realized that adhering to his promise would essentially require him to cancel numerous planned tour dates.  The publication points out that the venue for his next show, in Nashville, TN, also requires fans to show proof of vaccine or a negative test in order to attend.

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Night is once again entering the Billboard 200 top 10, courtesy of Metallica.

The metal legends’ 1991 self-titled record, aka The Black Album, finds itself at number nine on the chart following its 30th anniversary reissue earlier this month. According to Billboard, The Black Album last visited the Billboard 200 top 10 more than 29 years ago, back in August 1992.

While it took The Black Album nearly three decades to return to the top 10, its been a near constant fixture on the Billboard 200 since is release. With its new position this week, The Black Album has now spent a total of 625 weeks on the chart, or a little over 12 years. Only three other albums have charted longer: Pink Floyd‘s The Dark Side of the Moon, Bob Marley and the Wailers‘ Legend and Journey‘s Greatest Hits.

Along with the Black Album reissue, Metallica also released The Metallica Blacklist, a 53-track compilation featuring covers of every song off the original record by artists including Weezer, Ghost, Royal Blood, Cage the Elephant, Corey Taylor, St. Vincent, Volbeat and Phoebe Bridgers, among many others.

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In early 2020, Foreigner played a series of dates at in Las Vegas at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. It was supposed to be the first part of a two-part residency, but of course, those later shows never happened due to the pandemic.   Well, the band’s now making up for lost time.

Starting March 25, 2022, Foreigner will take over the venue with their show The Best of Foreigner 4 Live, celebrating the 40th anniversary of their biggest-selling album, 1981’s 4. 

Eight shows in all are going on sale: March 25, 26 and 30, and April 1, 2, 6, 8 and 9.  The general on-sale date is Friday, September 24 at 10 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster and VenetianLasVegas.com, or by calling 866-641-7469. Foreigner fan club members and members of various loyalty programs will have access to pre-sales starting tomorrow at 10 a.m. PT.

The band’s Vegas shows in 2020 featured all the hits from 4, including “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “Juke Box Hero” and “Urgent,” as well as some deep cuts like “Night Life” and “Girl on the Moon.”  Most of the band’s other hits — from “Cold as Ice” to “I Want to Know What Love Is” — were also on the set list.

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Dave Grohl has announced a book tour in support of his upcoming memoir, The Storyteller.

The live and in-person events will take place September 27 in London, October 5 in New York City, October 7 in Washington, D.C. and October 12 and 13 in Los Angeles.

For more info, visit DaveGrohlStoryteller.com.

The Storyteller, Grohl’s first-ever book, is set to be released October 5. It spans from his childhood and throughout his career, including his days with Nirvana and forming Foo Fighters.

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