Classic Rock News

On This Day, Aug. 7, 1987 …

Lindsey Buckingham quit Fleetwood Mac, one day after a contentious group meeting at Christine McVie’s house led to a physical altercation between him and Stevie Nicks.

With a tour starting in a month, the band replaced Lindsey with Billy Burnette and Rick Vito and hit the road for the Shake the Cage Tour.

Buckingham would eventually return to Fleetwood Mac when they reunited in 1993 to perform “Don’t Stop” at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration. They then reunited in 1997 for a live concert, which was recorded for the live album The Dance and followed by an arena tour.

Buckingham remained with Fleetwood Mac until 2018, when he was fired over a disagreement about touring. He was again replaced by two guitarists, Crowded House’s Neil Finn and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell.

The current future of Fleetwood Mac is uncertain, but Buckingham and Nicks recently announced the reissue of Buckingham Nicks, their only studio album as a duo. The album will be reissued on Sept. 19.

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Back in 2022, the BBC announced a new reality series called Home to Roost, which was set to follow Ozzy Osbourne‘s move back to the U.K. Now, following the metal icon’s death on July 22, the project has been reworked into a a standalone documentary film, Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home.

A press release describes Coming Home as a “moving and inspirational account of the last chapter of Ozzy’s life, told through unique and intimate access to the whole Osbourne family,” including Ozzy’s wife, Sharon Osbourne, and their kids Jack Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne.

“Filmed over three years, it captures the extraordinary roller-coaster of their lives as Sharon and Ozzy attempt to complete their long-held dream of moving back to the U.K., Ozzy heroically battles to get fit enough to perform, and the family deal with the dramatic consequences of his ill-health,” the release reads.

Ozzy performed for the final time alongside his original Black Sabbath bandmates during July 5’s Back to the Beginning concert, held in his hometown of Birmingham, England.

Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home will premiere Aug. 18 on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

In related news, the city of Birmingham has announced a plan to preserve all the flowers and tributes left for Ozzy on the streets following the public funeral procession held on July 30, and send them to the Osbourne family.

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The Alan Parsons Project is set to reissue their sophomore album I, Robot, which was inspired by Isaac Asimov‘s science fiction stories exploring themes of artificial intelligence.

The album will be reissued in a variety of formats on Oct. 17, including a super deluxe box set with four CDs, a remastered version of the album done at Abbey Road Studios and 70 bonus tracks, 47 of which have never been released before. It also features a two-LP vinyl edition of the album, a Blu-ray featuring Dolby Atmos and 5.1 Surround Sound mixes, a hardcover book and more.

The first 500 copies of the super deluxe edition will include a print signed by Parsons.

The album will also be released on black and clear vinyl, and as an expanded CD that includes four bonus tracks.

Originally released in 1977, I, Robot landed in the top 10 on the Billboard Albums chart  and featured the top-40 single “I Wouldn’t Want to Be Like You.” According to the description that appeared on the original album, it tells “the story of the rise of the machine and the decline of man,” and serves as a “warning that his brief dominance of this planet will probably end, because man tried to create robot in his own image.”

All formats of I, Robot are available for preorder now.

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Mickey Hart has shared his thoughts about Dead & Company’s recent three-night stand at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, writing on Instagram that it felt like “3 days of coming home.”

The three shows took place Aug. 1, 2 and 3 and celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead.

“In those final moments of the weekend, it was truly profound. I saw 60,000 people sparking light, in love, entrained big time and coming our way,” Hart writes. “Different than applause after a song, it sounded more like an ahhhhhh. All the peace and love in proximity generated a collective energy that was shared by all. Very rare stuff indeed.”

Mentioning the band’s late members Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh and Ron “Pig Pen” McKernan, Hart writes that during the shows he saw them “hovering over the crowd smiling like Cheshire Cats.”

“In the final moments of the weekend standing right next to Bob [Weir] and feeling the raw emotion coming our way from our fans, I felt Bob’s heartbeat, along with mine, and the deep connection we have with all of you,” he shared, concluding the post with, “All the years combine. They melt into a dream.”

Grateful Dead was founded in the City By the Bay in 1965 by Garcia, Weir, Lesh, McKernan and Bill Kreutzmann, with Hart and lyricist Robert Hunter joining the group in 1967.

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This year marked the 40th anniversary of Dire Straits‘ blockbuster album Brothers in Arms, and frontman Mark Knopfler is reflecting on the album’s success in a new interview with Guitar World.

“Well, it’s tempting just to say, ‘Oh, it’s nothing’ and downplay it, but thinking about Brothers in Arms now, it seems like that record meant so much to so many people,” he tells the magazine, adding that the album’s success was “a combination of luck and events crashing into each other.”

Knopfler suggests timing had a lot to do with the album’s success, noting it helped that when it was released, they’d already had some hits in America. Plus, it was released just as the CD had been invented and got played in stores that sold audio systems to show off the equipment.

“That’s where a lot of people first heard it,” he says. “Then the singles made it in different countries and it became a worldwide thing. Next thing you know, you’re in the eye of the storm.”

Released May 17, 1985, Brothers in Arms was Dire Straits’ most successful album; it has been certified nine-times Platinum in the U.S. It was also the first album in history to sell over 1 million CDs.

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 Def Leppard is set to appear on NBC’s America’s Got Talent.

The “Pour Some Sugar on Me” rockers shared the news on Instagram, writing, “Excited to announce that Def Leppard will be performing on AGT Wednesday, August 20th! Save the date and watch on @nbc.”

Def Leppard is currently on the road and is set to play Placer County, California, on Saturday, with dates confirmed through October. They also recently announced a new 12-show Las Vegas residency, Def Leppard: Live at Caesars Palace The Las Vegas Residency, set to kick off Feb. 3. A complete list of dates can be found at DefLeppard.com.

In addition to the live shows, Def Leppard recently revealed they are working on a new album. In an interview with USA Today, the band said the follow-up to 2022’s Diamond Star Halos is expected out next year.

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Welsh rocker Dave Edmunds is on the mend after suffering a heart attack in July.

The news of the 81-year-old Edmunds’ condition was first revealed by his wife, Cici Edmunds, in a July Facebook post. She revealed he suffered “a major cardiac arrest” and “died in her arms,” but was revived by doctors.

Cici has now confirmed that Edmunds is doing better. She shared a post that first appeared on Carlene Carter’s Facebook that read, “Dave is expected to make a full recovery and be out of the hospital soon!” Carlene added, “Some really great news we all have been waiting for.”

Cici added the caption, “Bless you sweet beautiful Carlene for sharing the positive news regarding my amazing husbands miraculous recovery.”

Edmunds is best known for his 1970 cover of “I Hear You Knocking,” which peaked at #4 in the U.S. He also co-founded the 1970s band Rockpile with Nick Lowe, and released several solo albums. He worked as a producer with artists like Lowe, Paul McCartney, Stray Cats and more, and toured with Ringo Starr as a member of his All-Starr Band.

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John Mayer is sharing his feelings about getting to be a part of Dead & Company’s recent three-night stand at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead.

“No matter how many shows we play as a band, I will always be a guest in this musical world, and I’ll never lose sight of what is the great honor of my life,” he writes on Instagram. “Happy 60th, Grateful Dead, and long may you run.”

While Mayer says that he’ll “never come close to playing” like the band’s late singer/co-founder Jerry Garcia, he tells fans, “if I can somehow get you closer to him – and to the spirit he created 60 years ago – then I suppose I’ve done my job. Thank you for accepting me.”

The three Dead & Company shows took place Aug. 1, 2 and 3 and featured guest appearances by Phish’s Trey Anastasio and Phil Lesh‘s son Grahame Lesh, as well as Billy Strings and Sturgill Simpson.

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We’re getting another preview of the upcoming David Gilmour concert film, Live at the Circus Maximus, Rome. After initially sharing a performance of the Pink Floyd track “Sorrow,” the official trailer for the film has now been released.

Live at Circus Maximus, Rome, hitting theaters and IMAX on Sept. 17, captures one of Gilmour’s Luck and Strange concerts at the famed Italian venue set against the backdrop of the ancient ruins of Rome. The trailer showcases snippets of the concert, including performances of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here,” “Comfortably Numb” and more.

Tickets are on sale now at DavidGilmour.film.

Luck and Strange, released in 2024, was Gilmour’s first album of new material in nine years. The album debuted at #10 in the U.S. and at #1 in the U.K. The subsequent tour included rehearsal shows in Brighton, England, followed by multinight stands in Italy, London, New York and Los Angeles.

In addition to the film, on Oct. 17, Gilmour will release The Luck and Strange Concerts, a four-LP or two-CD set featuring 23 tracks recorded during the tour. There will also be a super deluxe edition that includes a 120-page book, David Gilmour Luck and Strange Live, featuring tour photos taken by Gilmour’s wife, Polly Samson.

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Ozzy Osbourne‘s son Jack Osbourne has shared a tribute to his late father.

“I haven’t really wanted to post anything since the passing of my father,” Jack writes. “My heart has hurt too much. I’ll keep this short because he hated long, rambling speeches.”

“He was so many things to so many people, but I was lucky and blessed to be part of a very small group who got to call him ‘Dad,'” the younger Osbourne continues. “My heart is heavy with sadness and sorrow, but also full of love and gratitude. I got 14,501 days with that man, and I know what a blessing that is.”

Jack remembers some of those 14,501 days in an accompanying video titled “Some memories of my father,” which features home video footage of him growing up with Ozzy, as well as more recent film of the “Iron Man” rocker spending time with his grandchildren. You can watch the video, which is set to the Ozzy solo song “So Tired,” streaming now on YouTube.

Jack concludes his statement with a quote from late writer Hunter S. Thompson, which he feels “best describes” his dad: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body … but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow! What a ride!'”

“That was my dad,” Jack writes. “He lived — and he lived fully. I love you Dad.”

Ozzy died July 22 at age 76. He’d just played his final show with his original Black Sabbath bandmates at the Back to the Beginning concert on July 5.

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