Classic Rock News

Fans of The Doors are finally getting to hear what’s being called their last known unreleased tune. The track, “Paris Blues,” has been released digitally for the very first time.

The track is part of The Doors’ contribution to Record Store Day Black Friday on November 25. That release, available at independent record stores, will be a limited-edition compilation of rare blues recordings, coming out on translucent blue vinyl. Only 10,000 numbered copies will be available, complete with an original painting by guitarist Robby Krieger.

Although it isn’t clear when “Paris Blues” was recorded, it is believed to be a product of The Doors’ sessions for either 1969’s The Soft Parade or 1971’s L.A. Woman. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek had the only copy of the song, although it was damaged by his son, Pablo, who, as a toddler, recorded over parts of it. It has now been reconstructed, with use of “creative editing.”

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The Rolling Stones are sharing a newly restored version of the music video for “2000 Light Years From Home,” from their 1967 experimental/psychedelic album, Their Satanic Majesties Request. The clip, filmed and produced in 1967, has now been restored in 4K resolution and released digitally for the first time.

The “promotional film,” as it was known back then, was directed by the late Peter Whitehead and shot on 35 MM film. The performance clip opens with closeups of the band members bathed in various colors, with Mick Jagger’s face painted, something he would do again for the “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” video, which was filmed the following year. 

The track, written by Mick and Keith Richards, was the B-side to the single “She’s A Rainbow.” It is believed Mick wrote the lyrics in prison during an incarceration from a drug bust.

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Before there was a Ticketmaster uproar over Taylor Swift tickets, Bruce Springsteen fans were angered over the ticket sales for his 2023 tour with the E Street Band, particularly the site’s dynamic pricing, which shot up ticket prices. Well, now Bruce is commenting on the whole mess. 

Bruce tells Rolling Stone when he usually tours, he has his people see what other artists are charging and says “let’s charge a little less.” He insists that throughout his career he’s “been under market value,” sharing, “I’ve enjoyed that. It’s been great for the fans.”  But, he says, “This time I told them, ‘Hey, we’re 73 years old. The guys are there. I want to do what everybody else is doing, my peers.’ So that’s what happened. That’s what they did.”

Bruce acknowledges these days ticket buying “has gotten very confusing,” but says, “most of our tickets are totally affordable.” Regarding dynamic pricing, he notes there’s always going to be brokers who sell the tickets for more, so his thought is “why shouldn’t that money go to the guys that are going to be up there sweating three hours a night for it?” He adds, “I know it was unpopular with some fans. But if there’s any complaints on the way out, you can have your money back.”

As for the backlash, The Boss says, “Well, I’m old. I take a lot of things in stride. You don’t like to be criticized. You certainly don’t like to be the poster boy for high ticket prices,” adding, “…You have to own the decisions you have made and go out and just continue to do your best.” He notes, “I think if folks come to the show, they’re going to have a good time.”

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Queen’s new The Miracle Collector’s Edition box set is out now and to coincide with the release, the band has dropped a brand-new video for “Was It All Worth It,” the six-minute closing track of the their 13th album.

The video is made up of archival footage, still photos and animation, which, according to the video’s director Simon Lupton, takes fans “on a whistlestop tour through Queen’s incredible journey,” adding, “We hope viewers enjoy spotting all the nods and references we’ve included.” 

The Miracle Collector’s Edition is out now in a variety of formats, including eight-disc vinyl, five-CD, DVD and Blu-ray. In addition to the original album, it contains original takes, early demos and unfinished cuts, along with six previously unreleased tracks and audio of the band in the studio.

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Elvis Costello & The Imposters just earned a Best Rock Album Grammy nomination for The Boy Named If, and now, fans are about to be treated to a new version of the record.

Costello just announced he’s dropping the companion album, The Boy Named If (Alive at Memphis Magnetic), on November 25. The record features live-in-the-studio takes on the album’s songs, recorded during tour rehearsals at Memphis Magnetic Recording in October 2021 and May 2022. 

The album also includes a version of the Costello classic “Every Day I Write The book,” along with covers of The Rolling Stones’ “Out of Time”; Nick Lowe’s “Truth Drug”; The Byrds’ “So You Want Be A Rock and Roll Star”; The Beatles’ “Here There and Everywhere”; and Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Let Me Roll It.” Plus, there is a remix of Costello’s “Magnificent Hurt” by the Japanese duo chelmico, which has just been released.

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Roger Waters has released a new version of a Pink Floyd classic. The track, “Comfortably Numb 2022,” was recorded during the rocker’s This Is Not A Drill North American tour and is now available on streaming services. 

“During Lockdown I made a demo of a new version of ‘Comfortably Numb‘ as an opener for our new show This  Is Not A Drill,” Roger shares. “I pitched it a whole step down, in A Minor, to make it darker and arranged it with no solos, except over the outro chord sequence, where there is a heartrendingly beautiful female vocal solo from Shanay Johnson, one of our new singers.” 

The original “Comfortably Numb” was released in 1980 and appeared on Pink Floyd’s classic album The Wall.

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Donald Trump isn’t the only politician upsetting musicians by using their music without permission. The latest politician being called out is Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.

The estate of the late Tom Petty is upset that Lake included the rocker’s 1989 track “I Won’t Back Down” in a recently dropped video, which features images of her posing with Trump, hunting with a rifle, and even destroying TVs that air CNN. 

“The Tom Petty estate and our partners were shocked to find out that Tom’s song ‘I Won’t Back Down’ was stolen and used without permission or a license to promote Kari Lake’s failed campaign. This is illegal,” reads a tweet by the estate, referring to the fact that Lake lost to her Democratic opponent Katie Hobbs, although she refuses to concede. The Petty estate adds, “We are exploring all of our legal options to stop this unauthorized use and to prohibit future misappropriations of Tom’s beloved anthem. “

Finally, they thanked fans “who brought this to our attention and who help us protect his legacy every day.”

The Petty response comes just days after Isaac Hayes’ estate called out Trump for using the Sam and Dave song “Hold On I’m Coming,” which Hayes wrote with David Porter, at the event announcing the former president’s 2024 election bid.

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Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium streams live on Disney+ Sunday night. It’s the final show Elton will play in North America as part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. Because it’s live, you’ll have to stay up till 11 p.m. to watch it on the East Coast, but it’s going to be worth it.

“I think the reason why you should watch it is because there’s very rarely a moment that we know will be a historic moment in music,” executive producer Ben Winston tells ABC Audio. He notes, “One of the greatest artists of all time is saying, ‘This is me saying farewell to you … a country … that has been so good to me, that I’ve toured for years and years and years … at the most iconic venue that you could play.”

Winston says you should also tune in for Elton’s special guests Dua Lipa, Kiki Dee and Brandi Carlile, as well as the preshow, featuring farewell wishes from a range of celebrities, from President Joe Biden to Billie Eilish. 

Speaking with ABC’s Robin Roberts about doing this final show at the same place he played two career-making shows back in 1975, Elton noted, “Dodger Stadium, at that point, was the pinnacle of my career. I was the biggest I could possibly be.”

“I’ve played there since with Eric Clapton,” he adds. “But to be there again on my own … I couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful ending.”

“I can’t do any better than I’ve done. I’m going out on the biggest high. This is the biggest tour we’ve ever done,” he adds. “What more can I want? I’ve had enough applause. I’ve said it before: I just want the applause of my children, saying, ‘You’ve been a good dad.'”

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Stewart Copeland‘s post-Police band Animal Logic, which the drummer formed with acclaimed jazz bassist Stanley Clarke and singer/songwriter Deborah Holland, has just released two new songs, the group’s first new tunes in over 30 years.

“Can I Tell You” and “Ordinary” are available via major digital music providers and at Animal Logic’s Bandcamp page.

Animal Logic formed in 1987 and released a pair of studio albums, 1989’s self-titled effort and 1991’s Animal Logic II, before the members moved on to focus on various other projects.

Copeland tells ABC Audio the new songs don’t signify a full-fledged Animal Logic reunion, noting that the tracks are just part of an ongoing casual remote collaboration between him, Clarke and Holland.

“The concept of reuniting the band is kind of maybe a little dramatic, because, really, we just like working with each other,” Stewart maintains. “Deborah Holland writes incredible songs, and Stanley and I are always inspired … We send [a] track around and we do something cool, and we’re all very happy about it.”

One of the songs, “Ordinary” is an upbeat pop tune that features Holland offering a rundown of various serious modern issues.

“That’s what we love about Deborah … she’s a thinker,” Stewart says. “She thinks about things and has a very interesting perspective on things … She lives a real life and has her poetic take on it, which I find inspiring.”

Meanwhile, Copeland notes that Animal Logic won’t be going out of the way to promote the songs.

“There’s no major record company involved or anything like that,” he says. “This really is art for art’s sake. You know, it’s just because we think it’s cool, and hope you think it’s cool, too. But we’re not gonna ram it down your throat.” 

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Thin Lizzy is celebrating one of their classic live albums with a new reissue. Next year marks the 45th anniversary of the double-Platinum Live and Dangerous, and to mark the occasion the band is set to release what they are calling a “definitive” eight-CD super deluxe version of the record.

The original live album was recorded at shows in London and Toronto in 1977 on the band’s Johnny the Fox and Bad Reputation tours. The new set, dropping January 20, will include a remastered version of the original, as well as six shows recorded for the album — in London, Toronto and Philadelphia — all newly remixed from the original multitracks.

Live and Dangerous was Thin Lizzy’s first live album. There was some debate as to how much of the album was recorded live when it was released. Regardless, the album was a huge hit, peaking at number two in the United Kingdom.

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