Classic Rock News

After teasing the news in a recent video update, Ringo Starr has now announced full details about his upcoming EP, EP3.

The four-track collection, which can be pre-ordered now, will be released digitally and on CD September 16, while a limited-edition blue cassette and 10-inch vinyl-disc version are due out on November 18.

EP3 is the third EP the former Beatles drummer released after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — following Zoom In and Change the World, which both arrived in 2021.

Starr recorded all three EPs at his Roccabella West studio.

EP3 begins with the upbeat rock tune “World Go Round,” which is available now as an advance digital single. It was co-written by founding Toto guitarist, longtime All Starr Band member Steve Lukather, and Toto lead singer Joseph Williams, who both co-wrote the Change the World‘s title track.

The second track, “Everyone and Everything,” was written by hit-making producer and songwriter Linda Perry, who also contributes guitar, percussion and backing vocals to the tune.

The third song, “Let’s Be Friends,” is a catchy dance tune co-written by Starr’s longtime studio engineer Bruce Sugar and acclaimed songwriter Sam Hollander.

The EP’s final track, “Free Your Soul,” is a laid-back, reggae-flavored tune that Starr co-wrote with Sugar. The tune includes guest appearances by Dave Koz on tenor sax and José Antonio Rodriguez on nylon guitar.

“I am in my studio writing and recording every chance I get,” Ringo notes. “It’s what I have always done and will continue to do, and releasing EPs more frequently allows me to continue to be creative and give each song a little more love.”

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After giving the Upside Down the most metal concert its ever seen, Eddie Munson made his debut at Lollapalooza on Thursday.

During Metallica‘s headlining set on the opening day of the Chicago festival, the metal legends broadcasted the Stranger Things character’s famous shredding scene on the stage screens while performing — what else? — “Master of Puppets.”

Footage of the production was posted to Twitter by @Consequence.

Following its placement in the season four finale of Stranger Things earlier this month, “Master of Puppets” has seen a resurgence, making its first-ever appearance on the Billboard Hot 100. To celebrate the song’s newfound popularity, Metallica released a new lyric video for “Master of Puppets” this week.

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Just a reminder that Aerosmith launches its new streaming concert series, 50 Years Live!: From the Aerosmith Vaults, today at 3 p.m. ET at the band’s official YouTube channel.

The first installment, is titled Live from The Summit, Houston, TX, 1977, and features footage from a two-night stand that the rock legends played at the Houston venue in June ’77 during their Draw the Line Tour. The film, which has been digitized from the original analog tape and remastered in HD, will be viewable for one week after its premiere.

As previously reported, the five-part series will offer a new archival “official bootleg” concert film featuring never-before-seen footage debut weekly for five weeks. Each flick captures Aerosmith during a different decade and features shows filmed by multiple cameras.

One day after each film premieres, highlight clips from the respective movies also will be added to Aerosmith’s YouTube channel.

In conjunction with the 50 Years Live! series, Aerosmith has launched a contest at Tunespeak.com offering fans who watch the films each week a chance to win two tickets to the band’s 50th anniversary concert at Boston’s Fenway Park on September 8. Those who enter also will have the opportunity to win an Aerosmith t-shirt.

Here’s the complete schedule of the 50 Years Live!: From the Aerosmith Vaults series:

7/29 — Live from the Summit, Houston, TX, 1977 (Draw the Line Tour)
8/5 — Live from the Capital Centre, Landover, MD, 1989 (Pump Tour)
8/12 — Live from the Coca-Cola Star Lake Amphitheatre, Pittsburgh, PA, 1993 (Get a Grip Tour)
8/19 — Live from Comerica Park, Detroit, MI, 2003 (Rocksimus Maximus Tour)
8/26 — Live from Arena Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City, 2016 (Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumble Tour)

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A woman who accused Bob Dylan of sexually abusing her when she was a minor dropped her lawsuit on Thursday, following accusations that she destroyed key evidence.

The lawsuit alleged that Dylan — born Robert Allen Zimmerman — abused the woman over a six-week period in 1965 when she was 12 years old, saying the legendary singer-songwriter left her “emotionally scarred and psychologically damaged.” Dylan’s lawyers dismissed the accusations as “false, malicious, reckless and defamatory” and a “brazen shakedown masquerading as a lawsuit,” according to Billboard.

At a hearing on Thursday, however, the plaintiff — identified only as J.C. — suddenly asked the federal judge overseeing the case to dismiss it “with prejudice,” meaning the suit cannot cannot be refiled, Billboard reports. The move came after the plaintiff was accused of deleting text messages and emails and was threatened with monetary sanctions.

“This case is over. It is outrageous that it was ever brought in the first place,” Dylan’s lead attorney, Orin Snyder, said in a statement obtained by Billboard. “We are pleased that the plaintiff has dropped this lawyer-driven sham and that the case has been dismissed with prejudice.”

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As he waits to head back out on tour with his All Starr Band in September, Ringo Starr has posted a video update at his YouTube channel in which he shares some news about an upcoming release he has planned.

In the clip, the former Beatles drummer starts by sending out his usual “peace and love” message to fans, explaining that he’s hanging out on a beautiful day.

Then, after noting that the tour will be picking up again in September after a bunch of June dates were postponed, he declares, “I have another EP out in September. It’s called EP 3. And so, September’s gonna be pretty busy, thank you.”

As previously announced, Ringo and the All Starr Band’s postponed shows were rescheduled to run right into their fall North American leg, which is mapped out through an October 19-20 stand in Mexico City.

As its title suggests, Starr’s upcoming EP with be the third EP he’s released in the last couple of years. The first, Zoom In, was issued in March 2021, while the second, Change the World, arrived in September of last year.

Meanwhile, the end of the update video features footage of Ringo having fun while briefly jamming out with Toto and All Starr Band guitarist Steve Lukather on a version of Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water,” with Ringo accompanying Steve on bongos.

After he stops playing, Starr comments, “Let’s do a version of that,” then declares, “Bongo boy!”

You can check out the All Starr Band’s full list of tour dates at RingoStarr.com.

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A new box set featuring remastered versions of former Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler‘s four most recent solo studio albums, plus a disc of bonus songs, will be released on October 7 as a six-CD set, a nine-LP vinyl collection and on digital formats.

Mark Knopfler: The Studio Albums 2009-2018, which can be preordered now, includes 2009’s Get Lucky, 2012’s Privateering, 2015’s Tracker and 2018’s Down the Road Wherever. It also features the companion compilation Back in the Day: The Bonus Tracks 2009-2018, which includes studio B-sides and bonus tracks, as well as two previously unreleased songs from the Down the Road Wherever era — “Back in the Day” and “Precious Voice from Heaven.”

Three tracks from the rarities compilation — “Back in the Day,” “Don’t Suck Me In” and “Sky and Water” — are available now as advance digital tracks.

The vinyl box set will feature two LP versions of Get Lucky, Privateering, Tracker and Down the Road Wherever, plus the single-disc Back in the Day, all pressed on 180-gram vinyl. The collection also will come with five embossed prints of the cover art of each album.

Get Lucky, Privateering, Tracker and Down the Road Wherever peaked at #17, #65, #14 and #15, respectively, on the Billboard 200.

The upcoming box set is the follow-up to the Mark Knopfler: The Studio Albums 1996-2007 collection, which focused on Mark’s first five solo albums and was released in the U.S. in April.

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It’s been less than five months since Bryan Adams released Classic, a digital album stuffed with re-recordings of his greatest hits from the ’80s and ’90s — and part two is already on its way.

“Bryan is happy to announce ‘Classic Pt. II’ featuring 7 newly re-recorded favorites, is out digitally on Friday! Pre-save now!” Adams tweeted out on Thursday, sharing a link so fans can make sure the album arrives in their playlists at midnight.

Why is the “Summer of ’69” singer making these albums? Similar to pop supestar Taylor Swift‘s masters saga with her former label, Bryan is also fighting to reclaim the rights to his music.

In a March 2022 interview, he told Stereogum that Swift inspired him to re-record his old hits. Adams revealed that his former label, Universal Music Group, declined to hand over the rights to his catalog.

“She and I have been in a similar situation lately with our master recordings. My record company wasn’t interested in negotiating the return of my early masters, so I’ve done what she has done to re-record my early songs again,” he explained, adding that his Classic albums are coming out “thanks to Taylor.”

Swift invited Adams to sing with her during her Reputation Tour in 2019, and they performed “Summer of ’69” together. Bryan that hinted she made it even easier for him to think he could re-record his decades-old hits.

“I loved singing with Taylor,” he recalled, “In fact, I believe it’s the best version of the song since the original recording.”

Adams’ latest studio album of original material, So Happy It Hurts, was released this past March, one week after Classic.

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Ozzy Osbourne is once again taking the “Crazy Train” to the top of the charts.

The Prince of Darkness’ new solo single, “Patient Number 9,” has hit #1 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay ranking. It’s his fourth leader on the chart, which first began in 1981.

“Patient Number 9” took just five weeks to reach #1, which ties Shinedown‘s “Planet Zero” for the fastest run to the top of Mainstream Rock Airplay this year. Additionally, its ascension also gives featured artist Jeff Beck a new Billboard record.

The guitar virtuoso now boasts the longest gap between an artist’s first appearance on Mainstream Rock Airplay and their first #1, having hit the summit with “Patient Number 9” 37 years, one month and two weeks after debuting on the chart with the 1985 Rod Stewart collaboration “People Get Ready.”

The record was previously held by Queen‘s Brian May, who waited 26 years, three months and one week between his first appearance in 1993 with the solo song “Driven By You” and hitting #1 in 2019 as a featured artist on Five Finger Death Punch‘s cover of Kenny Wayne Shepherd‘s “Blue on Black.”

“Patient Number 9” is the title track off Ozzy’s upcoming 13th solo album, due out September 9.

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A new archival Joni Mitchell collection called The Asylum Years (1972-1975) that features remastered versions of the iconic singer/songwriter’s first four albums for the Asylum label is due out September 23.

The package, which includes 1972’s For the Roses, 1974’s Court and Spark and the double live album Miles of Aisles, and 1975’s The Hissing of Summer Lawns, will be available as a four-CD set, a five-LP vinyl collection and digitally.

After releasing her first four studio albums on Reprise Records, Joni signed to Asylum and began delving more deeply into jazz influences.

As Mitchell’s friend Neil Young writes in the box set’s liner notes, “She had grown from folk to jazz and in between, creating a unique kind of sound that I loved to listen to over and over.”

This period also saw Joni score her highest-charting albums and singles.

For the Roses peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200 and featured Joni’s first top-40 hit, “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio,” which reached #25 on the Hot 100.

Court and Spark ascended to #2 on the Billboard 200, powered by the singles “Help” and “Free Man in Paris,” which reached #7 and #22, respectively, on the Hot 100.

Miles of Aisles also peaked at #2 and included a version of her classic “Big Yellow Taxi” that reached #24 on the Hot 100.

The Hissing of Summer Lawns climbed to #4 and featured the minor hit “In France They Kiss on Main Street.”

The cover of The Asylum Years (1972-1975) features an original painting by Mitchell, and fans who preorder the CD or LP version of the set from JoniMitchell.com will receive a limited-edition poster of the artwork.

Check out the box set’s full track list here.

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Peter Gabriel, Iggy Pop and James Taylor are among the artists who have lent their talents to Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen, a 12-track album celebrating the late legendary Canadian singer/songwriter.

The album was produced by Larry Klein, Joni Mitchell‘s ex-husband and main producer since the 1980s. Here It Is features versions of a mix of well-known and more obscure songs by Leonard Cohen, spanning from his 1967 debut album through 2016’s You Want It Darker, which was released shortly before his death.

Gabriel recorded the tribute album’s title track, “Here It Is,” a rarity that dates back to 2001, while Pop delivered a rendition of “You Want It Darker.” Taylor, meanwhile, contributed a new version of the 1984 tune “Coming Back to You,” which is available now as an advance digital track.

Norah Jones, Sarah McLachlan, Mavis Staples, Nathaniel Rateliff and David Gray are also featured on the tribute album.

Klein says he decided to organize the tribute album for his close friend Cohen after realizing that he’d frequently been covering his songs with other collaborators. He proceeded to assemble a group of respected jazz musicians and bring in guest singers to create reworked versions of Cohen’s tunes.

“It was an immensely gratifying experience to recontextualize these poems, and shine a different light on them,” Klein explains. “I hope that this musical language that we developed together…makes the songs connect with people in a new way.”

You can preorder Here It Is now; It will be available October 14 on CD, vinyl and digital formats.

Here’s the album’s full track listing:

“Steer Your Way” — Norah Jones
“Here It Is” — Peter Gabriel
“Suzanne” — Gregory Porter
“Hallelujah” — Sarah McLachlan
“Avalanche” — Immanuel Wilkins
“Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye” — Luciana Souza
“Coming Back to You” — James Taylor
“You Want It Darker” — Iggy Pop
“If It Be Your Will” — Mavis Staples
“Seems So Long Ago, Nancy” — David Gray
“Famous Blue Raincoat” — Nathaniel Rateliff
“Bird on the Wire” — Bill Frisell

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