Classic Rock News

Limited-edition black vinyl versions of The Who‘s first third and fourth studio albums, 1967’s The Who Sell Out and the band’s landmark 1969 rock opera, Tommy, will be released on July 6 as the second installment of a recently launched series of half-speed-mastered vinyl editions of the band’s records.

Both albums were mastered at London’s Abbey Road Studios by longtime Who engineer Jon Astley and cut for vinyl by acclaimed engineer by Miles Showell. The discs will be packaged in sleeves replicating the albums’ original designs, and will come with certificates of authenticity.

The Who Sell Out is noteworthy for being one of the first rock concept albums. It featured the band parodying the British pirate radio stations that were popular at the time, and included fake commercials written and recorded by the group that connected some of the songs. The album only reached #48 on the Billboard 200, but it included The Who’s first U.S. top-10 hit, “I Can See for Miles.”

Tommy is widely regarded as one of the most important albums in rock history, a double-disc collection that tells the story of a “deaf, dumb and blind kid” who becomes a pinball champion and then a spiritual leader. Tommy peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200 and features many enduring Who songs, among them “Pinball Wizard,” “I’m Free” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” which includes the famed “See Me, Feel Me” segment.

The Who launched their half-speed mastered-vinyl series earlier this month with reissues of their first two U.K. studio albums: 1965’s My Generation and 1966’s A Quick One.

You can pre-order the half-speed-mastered The Who Sell Out and Tommy LPs now.

Here’s The Who Sell Out‘s full track list:

Side 1
“Armenia City in the Sky”
“Heinz Baked Beans”
“Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand”
“Odorono”
“Tattoo”
“Our Love Was”
“I Can See for Miles”

Side 2
“Can’t Reach You”
“Medac”
“Relax”
“Silas Stingy”
“Sunrise”
“Rael (1 and 2)”

And here’s the full track list of Tommy:

Side 1
“Overture”
“It’s a Boy”
“1921”
“Amazing Journey”
“Sparks”
“The Hawker”

Side 2
“Christmas”
“Cousin Kevin”
“The Acid Queen”
“Underture”

Side 3
“Do You Think It’s Alright?”
“Fiddle About”
“Pinball Wizard”
“There’s a Doctor”
“Go to the Mirror!”
“Tommy, Can You Hear Me?”
“Smash the Mirror”
“Sensation”

Side 4
“Miracle Cure”
“Sally Simpson”
“I’m Free”
“Welcome”
“Tommy’s Holiday Camp”
“We’re Not Gonna Take It”

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Red Hot Chili Peppers are no longer performing at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards.

The show announced Wednesday that the “Under the Bridge” outfit had to drop off due to “unforeseen circumstances.” The performance was set to be RHCP’s first on the BBMAs in 23 years.

In place of the Peppers, contemporary rocker Machine Gun Kelly has joined the performers lineup, marking his BBMA debut.

Previously announced performers include Florence + the Machine, as well as Silk Sonic, Megan Thee Stallion, Travis Scott, Ed Sheeran, Miranda Lambert and Mary J. Blige, among others.

The 2022 Billboard Music Awards will air this Sunday, May 15, on NBC.

Red Hot Chili Peppers are scheduled to kick off a world tour in support of their new album, Unlimited Love, on June 4 in Seville, Spain. The North American leg of the trek gets underway July 23 in Denver.

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Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release of The Rolling Stones‘ classic 12th U.S. studio album, the double-disc Exile on Main St.

The 18-track collection found the British rock legends diving deep into their American roots-music influences, including the blues, country, gospel and, of course, early rock ‘n’ roll.

Exile on Main St. was the second in a streak of eight consecutive Stones studio albums that reached #1 on the Billboard 200, spending four weeks atop the chart in June and July of ’72. The record yielded two hit singles, “Tumbling Dice” and the Keith Richards-sung “Happy,” which peaked, respectively, at #7 and #22 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Other standout tracks on the album included “Rocks Off,” “Sweet Virginia,” “Loving Cup,” “All Down the Line” and “Shine a Light.”

Many tracks on Exile on Main St. were recorded in the U.K. between 1969 and 1971, at London’s Olympic Studios and Mick Jagger‘s Stargroves country house, but much of the album came together after The Rolling Stones relocated to France in 1971 as British tax exiles. While the band members were in France, the bulk of the recording was done a makeshift studio set up at a villa called Nellcôte that Richards rented near the city of Nice.

While at Nellcôte, Richards reportedly struggled with heroin addiction, causing the sessions to drag on for months. Overdubs, vocals and other additions were recorded later in Los Angeles’ Sunset Sound at sessions overseen by Jagger.

Exile on Main St. was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2012, and was ranked at #14 on Rolling Stone‘s 2020 list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”

Here’s the album’s full track list:

LP 1

Side A
“Rocks Off”
“Rip This Joint”
“Shake Your Hips”
“Casino Boogie”
“Tumbling Dice”

Side B
“Sweet Virginia”
“Torn and Frayed”
“Sweet Black Angel
“Loving Cup”

LP 2

Side A
“Happy”
“Turd on the Run”
“Ventilator Blues”
“I Just Want to See His Face”
“Let It Loose”

Side B
“All Down the Line”
“Stop Breaking Down”
“Shine a Light”
“Soul Survivor”

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A four-CD box set gathering together recordings from various solo concerts that longtime Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman played during the mid-1970s will be released this Friday, May 13.

The Myths and Legends of Rick Wakeman features Wakeman showcasing songs from his first three solo concept albums — 1972’s The Six Wives of Henry VIII, 1974’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth and 1975’s The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Disc one features performances from shows that Rick played in North America in 1974, disc two was recorded at a 1975 concert at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom, disc three captures a 1976 concert at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, and the final disc features a 1976 performance from the Farnham, U.K., venue The Maltings.

“It’s really lovely to see some of the music I’m most proud of, released in a new way and presented so well,” Wakeman says about the box set. “I’m still wondering though if I am more of a myth than a legend!!!”

The collection includes a 16-page booklet offering liner notes and archival photos. You can order the box set and check out its track list at CleoRecs.com.

Meanwhile, in a new update on his official website, Wakeman reports that he’s busy writing new material for his next album, which he’s planning to have finished by mid-June.

The 72-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer also reveals that he’s been “struggling with osteoarthritis and diabetes,” noting that he’s “slowly getting them under control.”

In addition, he reports that he has a new book coming out around Christmas time titled Ramblings of a Grumpy Old Rock Star, and is working on an official biography that he plans to complete “sometime next year.”

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A few rock-related TV shows and films have been nominated for 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards.

The Beatles: Get Back documentary series, which premiered in November 2021 on Disney+, received a nod for the Best Music Documentary honor.  Other nominees in that category include Oasis‘ Knebworth 1996 concert film, and documentaries about Janet Jackson, Kanye West and Olivia Rodrigo. The award will be given out as part of the MTV Movie & TV Awards: UNSCRIPTED ceremony, a reality-focused spinoff of the original show.

Over on the scripted side, the Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommy, which tells the story of Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee and actress Pamela Anderson‘s infamous sex tape, is up for two awards: Lily James received a nod for Best Performance in a Show for her portrayal of Anderson, and while the show was nominated in the new-for-this-year category Here for the Hookup.

Both the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards and the MTV Movie & TV Awards: UNSCRIPTED will air live from Los Angeles on June 5. You can vote for your favorites now via Vote.MTV.com.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Bob Dylan‘s music catalog from his contributions to the super group the Traveling Wilburys has been acquired by the Primary Wave Music company, Variety revealed in an exclusive report.

According to the outlet, the deal includes Dylan’s “master royalties and neighboring rights royalties” for both of the band’s albums — 1988’s Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 and 1990’s Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 — as well as the 2007 box set The Traveling Wilburys Collection.

Traveling Wilburys initially consisted of Dylan, ex-Beatles guitarist George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Electric Light Orchestra frontman Jeff Lynne. Orbison died of a heart attack shortly after the release of the debut album, which featured the classic songs “Handle with Care” and “The End of the Line,” and peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200.

The group continued as a quartet and released one more album, Vol. 3, which reached #11 on the Billboard 200. The box set featured both albums, plus bonus tracks, as well as a DVD. Dylan is credited with co-writing all of the Wilburys’ original tunes along with the group’s other members.

During the past two years, Dylan has sold his recorded-music catalog and publishing rights, respectively, to Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group, respectively, for nine figures each. As Variety points out, “most people probably did not realize” that the folk-rock legend’s Traveling Wilburys catalog was included in those deals.

Primary Wave Music executive Samantha Rhulen said in a statement, “To acquire even a small portion of Bob Dylan’s work as part of Traveling Wilburys is exciting, to say the least. We’re honored to add this bit of history to our growing music catalog.”

Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed.

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Here’s some disappointing news for Journey fans planning to see one of the last few shows of the band’s current North American tour — the final four concerts have been postponed because an unspecified member of the group has tested positive for COVID-19.

The affected dates were scheduled to take place last night in Washington, D.C.; tonight in Hartford, Connecticut; this Friday, May 13, in Toronto; and this Monday, May 16, in Quecbec City, Canada.

In a message posted on their social media pages, Journey says, “The shows will be rescheduled for a later date, more information will be provided on the band websites shortly. Please hold on to your tickets at this time.”

The concerts in Washington, D.C.; and Hartford were to have featured Toto as the opening act, while Heart‘s Ann Wilson was to have opened the two Canadian gigs.

Journey’s Freedom Tour 2022 kicked off on February 22 in Pittsburgh, with Toto as the featured support act throughout the U.S. leg.

As previously reported, Journey will release a new studio album titled Freedom on July 8. Two advance tracks from the album have been released so far — “The Way We Used to Be” and “You Got the Best of Me,” which debuted in June 2021 and last month, respectively. You can pre-order Freedom now.

Meanwhile, in a conversation thread on his official Facebook page, founding Journey guitarist Neal Schon revealed that a second leg of the Freedom tour is being organized and he hinted that Toto also will be involved as an opening act on the upcoming series of shows.

Journey’s touring lineup currently features Schon, longtime keyboardist/backing singer Jonathan Cain, lead singer Arnel Pineda, drummer/backing singer Deen Castronovo, keyboardist/backing vocalist Jason Derlatka, and bassist Todd Jensen.

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Many music fans planning to attend concerts this summer will be checking StubHub to see if they can score tickets to shows by their favorite acts. Now, the ticketing platform has revealed which artists boast the most in-demand shows scheduled between Memorial Day on May 30 and Labor Day on September 4.

Topping the list is the multi-act Stadium Tour co-headlined by Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard and also featuring Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.

The trek, which kicks off June 16 in Atlanta, includes 36 U.S. dates through Labor Day. Other rock tours in the top 10 of the tally include Elton John at #5, Paul McCartney at #7, Billy Joel at #8, and Red Hot Chili Peppers at #9.

Elton has just eight stateside shows scheduled between Memorial Day and Labor, McCartney and Joel have six, and the Chili Peppers have 14.

Of the top-10 acts on the list, McCartney boasts the highest average price of tickets sold to his concerts…$349.

StubHub also has listed the top-10 “trending” touring artists of the summer of ’22, a tally that’s based on the increase in average show sales since their 2019 shows. Topping the list is Doors guitarist Robby Krieger, who enjoyed an increase of 680%. Other artists on the tally include John Waite at #5 with a 410% jump, and The Wallflowers at #10 with a 310% increase.

For more information, visit StubHub.com.

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Dave Mustaine is going unplugged for his latest collaboration with Gibson.

The Megadeth frontman has announced the Dave Mustaine Songwriter acoustic guitar. It marks the first signature acoustic Mustaine is releasing with Gibson since announcing his partnership with the famed guitar brand in 2021.

Despite the lack of electricity, the Dave Mustaine Songwriter still brings the metal with its ebony finish and Vic Rattlehead artwork. It’s also Gibson’s first-ever 24-fret acoustic guitar.

You can buy your own Dave Mustaine Songwriter now via Gibson.com. A limited run of 100 guitars will feature a soundhole label signed by Mustaine.

Mustaine and Megadeth are currently on the Metal Tour of the Year alongside Lamb of God, Trivium and In Flames. This summer, they’ll hit the road with Five Finger Death Punch.

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