Classic Rock
Billy Joel and Producer Phil Ramone Captured Collaborative Magic on The Stranger: The Opus
Listen via: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts | Stitcher | Radio Public | Pocket Casts | RSS The Stranger didn’t just mark Billy Joel’s critical breakthrough, but the beginning of a decade-long creative partnership with producer Phil Ramone. Together, the two would create some of the most lasting songs in music, and it all began with those first sessions in the summer of 1977. Advertisement Related Video Joel had a specific vision for what would be his fifth studio album, and that meant finding the right person to work the boards. And he was dead set on finding the right person; not even Fifth Beatle George Martin met his standards. It wasn’t until Ramone — known then for hits like “I...
Steven Tyler Accused of Sexually Assaulting a Minor in New Lawsuit
Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler has been accused of sexual assaulting a minor in a new lawsuit filed by his former girlfriend, Julia Holcomb. Tyler, then 27, began dating Holcomb shortly after her 16th birthday in 1975. Holcomb’s mother signed over her guardianship to Tyler, and the two moved in together at Tyler’s Boston home. She soon became pregnant, but then their relationship went south. Their apartment caught on fire, and she ended up in a hospital, during which time Tyler allegedly forced her to have an abortion. “When I returned home to my mother, I was a broken spirit,” Holcomb recounted in a 2011 essay. “I could not sleep at night without nightmares of the abortion and the fire. The world seemed like a dark place.” For his part, Tyler contends that the couple jointly decided to abo...
David Lee Roth: Working with Eddie Van Halen Was “Better Than Any Love Affair”
David Lee Roth and the Van Halen camp haven’t always seen eye to eye, but the singer recently offered some touching remarks while reflecting on his longtime bandmate, the late Eddie Van Halen. Roth opened up about his working relationship with the guitar legend on his The Roth Show podcast earlier this week. DLR famously left Van Halen in 1985 to pursue a successful solo career, and multiple failed attempts to patch things up would eventually give way to Roth rejoining the band in 2007. Roth and Eddie Van Halen appeared to be on good terms when Eddie passed away in 2020. “My dear departed Ed,” Roth said on his podcast (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “Boy, I miss him. I had a ball with Ed. Walt Disney once said, ‘You know what? My love affair with Mickey Mouse was better than any love aff...
Billy Joel Reintroduced Himself to the World with The Stranger: The Opus
Listen via: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts | Stitcher | Radio Public | Pocket Casts | RSS The Opus podcast is back with Episode 1 of Season 19, this time taking us inside the legacy of Billy Joel’s breakthrough record, The Stranger. Advertisement Related Video Everyone loves an underdog story, and despite its legendary status, that’s the story of The Stranger. It was Joel’s fifth full-length, but in some ways it felt like his debut. Despite having a few hits to his name, his genius had been hampered by a string of overly slick producers who didn’t connect with his musical vision. He may not have known that his career was on the chopping block, but he knew that his next record had to be ...
Brian Johnson Has “Been Told Not to” Discuss AC/DC’s Future Plans
Brian Johnson has apparently been told to not to speak about AC/DC’s future plans, including whether or not the band will tour again. The singer was very guarded in a new interview with Eddie Trunk on Sirius XM’s Trunk Nation, refusing to answer some questions about the band’s touring and recording plans. Johnson hasn’t performed with AC/DC since departing their 2016 “Rock or Bust Tour” due to hearing loss, and the band hasn’t played live since September 20th of that year (when Axl Rose had filled in on vocals). When asked by Trunk if AC/DC would perform live again, Johnson replied [as transcribed by Blabbermouth]: “I’m not answering that. Why should I? First of all, there’s five members in this band, and to ask one member isn’t fair.” Advertisement Related Video Johnson returned to AC/DC ...
Journey’s Neal Schon Hits Bandmate Jonathan Cain with Cease and Desist over Mar-A-Lago Performance
Journey’s Neal Schon has hit bandmate Jonathan Cain with a cease and desist over Cain’s performance of “Don’t Stop Believin’” at Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort. In November, Cain participated in a singalong of “Don’t Stop Believin’” with Trump sycophants Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Kari Lake. The performance struck a nerve with Schon, who fired off a cease and desist. “Although Mr. Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of Journey or for the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarizes the band’s fans and outreach. Journey is not, and should not be, political,” Schon’s attorney wrote in a letter (via The Guardian). Advertisement Related Video “Mr. Cain’s unauthorized af...
Pearl Jam’s 10 Best Deep Cuts
This article originally ran in 2020, but we’re dusting it off for Eddie Vedder’s birthday on December 23rd. Pearl Jam 30 continues with a look at the band’s finest Deep Cuts. Be sure to see all of our Pearl Jam content, old and new, here. The idea of a deep cut usually isn’t so complicated. They’re the padding, the filler, the less marketable tracks buried deep on records or used as buffers between the singles both band and record company pin their joint hopes on. Of course, what’s beautiful about deep cuts is that once we’ve grown tired of the singles we’re urged to consume again and again, we stumble upon these afterthoughts, and they can often become our favorite songs off a record. Advertisement Pearl Jam kinda throw a wrench into that idea, though. First off, the band at one point wer...
Iron Maiden’s Nicko McBrain Quietly Battled Laryngeal Cancer a Couple Years Ago
Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in 2020, but thankfully is now cancer-free. The metal veteran actually revealed his cancer battle last year in an inconspicuous interview with the University of Miami’s School of Medicine that has just been picked up by Blabbermouth. McBrain started noticing a change in his voice in 2019 that served as a cause of concern. He initially chalked it up to a habit he’s developed while drumming: “When I play drums with the band, I actually sort of scream and yell while I play, like a Judo guy slapping the mat.” However, he eventually felt that there was something more to his vocal issues this time around. “When you are lying down in a quiet room and you speak and hear your voice in your head and have a cold, you sound differen...
Bob Dylan Says He’s a Fan of Eminem, Metallica, and Wu-Tang Clan
Bob Dylan likes modern music so much that he literally wrote the book on it — or, at least, a book on it: the contentious The Philosophy of Modern Song. The legendary musician went into further detail about his own personal listening habits, however, in a new Q&A with The Wall Street Journal, revealing that his roster of favorite artists includes Eminem, Metallica, Wu-Tang Clan, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, and more. Firstly in the interview, Dylan talked about how he first fell in love with music in the 1950s, turning to new-at-the-time sources like the radio, portable turntables, and jukeboxes: “Without postwar technology these songs may have dissipated and been overlooked,” he said. “The recording process brought the right people to the top, the most innovat...
Pink Floyd Release 18 Live Albums from The Dark Side of the Moon Era: Stream
Nearly one year after quietly dropping a dozen live albums on streaming services, Pink Floyd have once again surprise-released another batch of live performances, this time containing 18 recordings from their Dark Side of the Moon era. The new collection follows the band from January 23rd, 1972 to December 9th, 1972 as they developed and refined their career-defining 1973 LP, which went on to sell 24.8 million copies worldwide and stands as one of the highest selling albums of all-time. Among the performances are the group’s four-night run at London’s Rainbow Theatre, three Japan shows, and US stops to Chicago and Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl. In addition, a 5-song compilation, titled Alternate Tracks 1972, includes rare demos and remixes of “Time,” “On the Run,” and more. See the full list...
Dino Danelli, The Rascals Founder and “One of the Greatest Drummers of All Time,” Dead at 78
Dino Danelli, a founding member of The Rascals and one of the foundational drummers of early rock and roll, is dead at the age of 78. His passing was announced in a Facebook post by friend and Rascals historian Joe Russo. Russo didn’t cite an exact cause of death, but noted, “His primary challenges were coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure, but there were many others.” Born in 1944 in Jersey City, New Jersey, Danelli co-founded the Young Rascals in 1965 with guitarist Gene Cornish, keyboardist and vocalist Felix Cavaliere, and singer Eddie Brigati. Together they scored a No. 1 hit with a cover of Rudy Clark and Arthur Resnick’s “Good Lovin’,” and they matched the feat with the original tune “Groovin’.” Advertisement Related Video In 1968 the band rechristened themselv...
Get Reintroduced to Billy Joel’s The Stranger on New Season of The Opus Podcast
The Opus returns this holiday season with a true gift for music fans. Season 19 of the hit music history podcast from Consequence Podcast Network and Sony Legacy is set to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the album that made Billy Joel a world renowned star: The Stranger. With episode one debuting on December 22nd, The Opus: Billy Joel’s The Stranger will track the entire story of the career-making collection. Long Island’s favorite son had had a handful of hits to his name (“Piano Man,” “New York State of Mind,” “The Entertainer”) at the time, but he’d yet to see an album crack the Top 10. His genius was on the verge of going down as underappreciated, but Joel made a bet on himself when approaching his fifth studio effort. He brought his touring band into the studio, linked up with ...
