Classic Rock
Guns N’ Roses Release Studio Version of New Song “Absurd”: Stream
Guns N’ Roses have unveiled a studio version of their “new” song “Absurd,” which is a reworking of the rare Chinese Democracy-era tune “Silkworms” that was never officially released. Axl Rose and company first performed the song as “Absurd” a few nights ago at Fenway Park in Boston, and then again on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Now, the band has issued the song as an official single, available on all major digital outlets, and streaming in the YouTube player below. It marks the band’s first new single since 2008, save for a 2018 release of an alternate take of the song “Shadow of Your Love” (which had originally appeared as a B-side to “It’s So Easy” in 1987). It is unclear if the studio recording features the full current lineup of GN’R, including cla...
George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass Gets Massive 50th Anniversary Reissue: Stream
The much-anticipated 50th anniversary edition of All Things Must Pass, the landmark solo album from George Harrison, is here. Following a couple of preview tracks last month, the newly remastered audio mix is here in all its glory, chock full with loads of outtakes, demos, and never-before-heard tracks to devour. This expansive reissue was compiled in collaboration with the late Beatle‘s son, Dhani Harrison. “Since the 50th anniversary stereo mix release of the title track to my father’s legendary All Things Must Pass album in 2020, my dear pal Paul Hicks and I have continued to dig through mountains of tapes to restore and present the rest of this newly remixed and expanded edition of the album you now see and hear before you,” he said in a statement. Dhani continued: “Bringing greater so...
Charlie Watts to Miss The Rolling Stones’ US Tour After Medical Procedure
Charlie Watts will miss The Rolling Stones’ upcoming US tour after undergoing an unspecified medical procedure. A representative for the band said “Charlie has had a procedure which was completely successful, but his doctors this week concluded that he now needs proper rest and recuperation. With rehearsals starting in a couple of weeks it’s very disappointing to say the least, but it’s also fair to say no one saw this coming.” In his own statement, Watts joked that “for once, my timing has been a little off… I am working hard to get fully fit but I have today accepted on the advice of the experts that this will take a while.” Advertisement Related Video “After all the fans’ suffering caused by COVID, I really do not want the many RS fans who have been holding tickets for this tour to be d...
Black Sabbath’s Technical Ecstasy to Get Expanded Deluxe Edition Reissue
Black Sabbath’s 1976 album Technical Ecstasy is getting the expanded reissue treatment. A new “Super Deluxe Edition” of the album arrives October 1st via BMG. The box set features remastered original audio and over 90 minutes of previously unreleased outtakes, alternate mixes, and live tracks. Like the previous Super Deluxe Editions of Vol. 4 and Sabotage, the upcoming Technical Ecstasy reissue also includes a new mix of the album by Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree). More specifically, the reissue touts eight previously unreleased outtakes and alternative mixes, including different mixes of “You Won’t Change Me” and “Rock ’n’ Roll Doctor,” as well as both outtake and instrumental versions for “She’s Gone.” Rounding out the set it a collection of 10 previously unreleased live cuts from the ex...
Guns N’ Roses Perform New Version of Rare Song “Silkworms”: Watch
Guns N’ Roses surprised fans with a rare performance of the Chinese Democracy-era cut “Silkworms” during their performance at Fenway Park on Tuesday night. Though Axl Rose introduced “Silkworms” as “a new Guns N’ Roses song,” its origins actually date back two decades. The song was first performed live way back in 2001, and various versions have since leaked online. Tuesday night’s setlist referred to the song as “Absurd,” but its chorus clearly pulls from “Silkworms.” Guns N’ Roses are known to be working on a new album, their first featuring Axl Rose alongside Slash and Duff McKagan since 1991’s Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. Whether or not “Silkworms”/”Absurd” finds its way on to the album’s final tracklist remains to be seen. Advertisement Related Video In the ...
Authorized Led Zeppelin Documentary Is Completed, Gets Official Title
The previously announced, officially authorized Led Zeppelin documentary has been completed. The film has also received a title: Becoming Led Zeppelin. According to Variety, the Bernard MacMahon-directed documentary will provide “unprecedented access” to the band. The film was first announced in 2019 and is the first official traditional documentary about the legendary rock act. “Becoming Led Zeppelin is a film that no one thought could be made,” MacMahon said. “The band’s meteoric rise to stardom was swift and virtually undocumented. Through an intense search across the globe and years of restoration of the visual and audio archive found, this story is finally able to be told.” Advertisement Related Video Zeppelin were previously chronicled in their 1976 concert film The Song Remains the ...
ZZ Top Play First Show Following Dusty Hill’s Death: Watch
Just a few days after the sudden death of longtime bassist Dusty Hill, ZZ Top were back onstage playing a concert in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Friday night (July 30th). As was the case for a couple shows before Hill passed, the band’s guitar tech Elwood Francis took over on bass. Throughout the evening, singer-guitarist Billy GIbbons made mention of Hill, who had been his bandmate for more than 50 years. “We’re gonna have a good time in here tonight,” said Gibbons as the show began. “Got a new guy up here, as you know. Dusty gave me the directive. My friend, your pal, Elwood Francis is gonna hold it down behind me.” Francis is sporting a long beard himself after growing it out during the pandemic, with Gibbons saying from the stage, “How about that Elwood, tearing up that bottom there for Du...
Jimi Hendrix’s Personal Recording of 1968 Joni Mitchell Concert Included in New Box Set
Joni Mitchell has been an icon for so long that it’s hard to imagine that she, like most of us, was once a regular, fledgling 20-something, who just happened to possess an insane amount of talent. A massive new box set, Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971), due out October 29th captures the prolific songwriter during that defining era. Included in the box set is an unearthed recording captured by Jimi Hendrix, who saw Mitchell in action during her two-week residency at Le Hibou Coffee House in Ottawa, Ontario, before his death. As a preview of the collection, Hendrix’s recording of Mitchell performing “The Downtreader” is now available to stream below. Hendrix’s tape recorder from his night at Mitchell’s concert was stolen just a few days after the show. T...
Rock World Reacts to the Death of ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill: “What an Icon”
The rock community is mourning the passing of ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill, who died in his sleep at age 72. Hill was an indispensable longtime member of the “Tres Hombres” and famously sported a lengthy beard like his bandmate Billy Gibbons. Musically, Hill had a gift for rhythm, holding down the band’s airtight bluesy rock tunes with drummer Frank Beard. ZZ Top had just kicked off a massive U.S. tour when Hill was sidelined with a “hip issue.” Longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis filled in on bass for a handful of dates, and today it was announced that Hill passed away in his sleep at his home in Houston. Following the sad news, fellow musicians and rock icons took to social media to pay tribute to Hill and his musical legacy. Advertisement Related Video John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater ...
Stevie Nicks Reflects on Bella Donna’s 40th Anniversary: “I Could Not Have Been More Proud”
If you’re Stevie Nicks, pretty much anything you write is gold— even if it’s something as ordinary as a diary entry. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of her solo debut, Bella Donna, the Fleetwood Mac singer took to Instagram today to honor the occasion, sharing an excerpt from her journal that details the origins of the album. Throughout the journal entry, Nicks explains her choice to work with background singers Lori Perry-Nicks and Sharon Celani, and how the album fits into Fleetwood Mac’s storied legacy. She also details a dramatic love story involving Nicks’ then-boyfriend’s mother, who inspired the title track to Bella Donna. As are most things Nicks attaches her name to, it’s pretty poignant. Read the full post below. Bella Donna was a dream. I chose Lori Perry-Nicks and Sharon Celan...
Lynyrd Skynyrd Guitarist Gary Rossington Undergoes Emergency Heart Surgery
Gary Rossington, the last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, recently underwent emergency heart surgery. The legendary Southern rock act announced the news after the guitarist missed the band’s recent concerts. Rossington was with Lynyrd Skynyrd when they resumed their long-running farewell tour in June, following 15 months off the road due to the pandemic. However, he hadn’t been onstage with the band for their latest gigs. The guitarist has had a history of heart issues in recent years, suffering a heart attack in 2015 and undergoing quintuple bypass surgery. That was followed by having his heart valve repaired in 2019. He once told Tampa Bay Times, “I’ve had heart attacks on stage a lot.” Advertisement Related Video The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame act explained Rossington’s a...
Robert Fripp and Toyah Take on The Who’s “My Generation” as King Crimson’s US Tour Kicks Off: Watch
Robert Fripp has already embarked on a summer U.S. tour with his legendary UK prog-rock band King Crimson, but that hasn’t put a stop to the guitarist’s viral “Sunday Lunch” performances with his wife, Toyah Willcox. The pair apparently filmed some advance episodes in their kitchen, beginning with today’s cover of The Who’s “My Generation.” Per usual, Toyah goes with a skimpy outfit, this time a white shirt that somehow doesn’t pop all the way open despite being held together by a little red clasp. Vocally, she delivers a raspy take on The Who’s classic 1965 track, adding some additional punk flavor to what could be argued is one of the earliest punk songs ever recorded. Fripp is back to his proper vest-and-tie look, while still sporting the mohawk that he featured in previous performances...
