Classic Rock
Paul McCartney Announces New Solo Album McCartney III
Paul McCartney will return on December 11th with McCartney III. The self-titled album arrives on the 50th anniversary of the former Beatles’ first solo album; like both McCartney I and its 1980 follow-up McCartney II, McCartney III is solo album in every sense, self-produced and recorded solely by McCartney, who plays every instrument. “Paul hadn’t planned to release an album in 2020, but in the isolation of ‘Rockdown,’ he soon found himself fleshing out some existing musical sketches and creating even more new ones,” a press release explains. “Before long an eclectic collection of spontaneous songs would become McCartney III: a stripped back, self-produced and, quite literally, solo work marking the opening of a new decade, in the tradition of 1970’s McCartney and 1980’s McCartney II...
R.I.P. Tony Lewis, Singer of The Outfield’s “Your Love”, Dies at 62
Tony Lewis, the lead singer and bassist of UK pop rock band The Outfield, has died at the age of 62. According to a statement from his publicist, Lewis died “suddenly and unexpectedly” on Monday (Oct. 19th) near London. A cause of death was not immediately made available. The Outfield’s origins date back to the early 1980s, when Lewis and guitarist John Spinks formed a prog rock band called Sirius B. The duo later recruited drummer Alan Jackman and reinvented themselves as a power-pop group under the moniker of The Outfield. The band experienced almost immediate success with the release of their debut, 1985’s Play Deep, which climbed to No. 9 on the album charts and was certified three-times platinum in the US. Much of the album’s success is owed to its massive single, “Your Love”, wh...
Bruce Springsteen Interviewed Eddie Vedder and Dave Grohl, And Of Course You’re Going to Listen
In the run-up to his new album Letter to You, Bruce Springsteen is hosting a five-episode radio series for Apple Music called Letter to You Radio. Eddie Vedder and Dave Grohl joined The Boss on the most recent episode, and together the rock veterans discussed key moments in their respective careers, what those first few breaks felt like, and the brotherhood of bands. Springsteen spoke to the Pearl Jam frontman first. He wanted to know about the Seattle grunge scene, because “we didn’t come out of a scene with a lot of peers. We were a one-shot out of Asbury Park.” To Springsteen, his own success seemed utterly unexpected, whereas Pearl Jam always felt inevitable. Springsteen said, “You had the kind of band that simply was a big, powerful band with a reach that want...
R.I.P. Spencer Davis, “Gimme Some Lovin” Rocker Dies at 81
Spencer Davis, founding member and namesake of the UK rock band The Spencer Davis Group, has died at the age of 81. His agent, Bob Birk, confirmed to the BBC that Davis passed away in a California hospital on October 19th after suffering heart failure while being treated for pneumonia. Davis formed The Spencer Davis Group — originally called The Rhythm & Blues Quartet — after he saw brothers Steve and Muff Winwood performing at a local pub. He asked them to join a band with him, and eventually brought in drummer Pete York to complete the lineup. Though bearing his name, Davis wasn’t the singer of the group, as might be expected. Instead, it was a teenaged Steve Winwood providing vocals on The Spencer Davis Group’s biggest hits, such as “I’m a Man”, “Gimme Some Lovin”, and “Keep on...
Tom Petty Estate Announces 70th Birthday Bash with Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters, The Heartbreakers & More
Today would have been Tom Petty’s 70th birthday. To honor the iconic rocker, the Petty estate has organized separate audio and visual livestreams for this Friday, October 23rd, in the hopes of raising awareness for charities including Save Our Stages (NIVA)), Arts In Medicine, Digitunity, and MusiCares. The Birthday Bash main event kicks off at 7 ET on TomPetty.com and Amazon’s Twitch channel. For Petty purists, the highlight will be performances by Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, the guitarist and keyboardist for Petty’s legendary backing band The Heartbreakers. Additional musical exhibitions will come from Adam Sandler, Amos Lee, Beck, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Dave Stewart, Dhani Harrison & Graham Coxon, Emily King, The Flaming Lips, Foo Fighters, Gary Clark Jr., Jackson Bro...
Steve Perry: Eddie Van Halen Approached Me After David Lee Roth Left Van Halen
Steve Perry (via Columbia Records), Eddie Van Halen (via Warner Bros. Records) Imagine the groundbreaking guitar playing of Eddie Van Halen paired with the golden voice of Steve Perry? Well, it could’ve been. According to the former Journey singer, Eddie Van Halen suggested that he and Perry jam following David Lee Roth’s departure from Van Halen in 1985. In paying tribute to the late guitarist in a new interview with Rolling Stone, Perry strongly hinted that he could have been in line for the coveted Van Halen singing gig if he had followed up on Eddie’s invitation. However, there was one big thing holding him back. “I don’t think anyone knows this, but when David Lee Roth left Van Halen [in 1985] I was living in the Bay Area and not sure what I was or wasn’t going to do anymore,” recalle...
R.I.P. Gordon Haskell, Former King Crimson Singer-Bassist Dies at 74
Onetime King Crimson singer-bassist Gordon Haskell has died at the age of 74. The sad news was announced via the musician’s Facebook page, but no cause of death was given. “It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Gordon, a great musician and a wonderful person who will be sadly missed by so many,” read the statement on Haskell’s passing. Haskell had a brief tenure in King Crimson during the pioneering UK prog-rock band’s early years. He was a classmate and teenage bandmate of founder Robert Fripp in the group League of Gentlemen, and was recruited to sing lead vocals on the song “Cadence and Cascade” on King Crimson’s second album, 1970’s In the Wake of Poseidon. Greg Lake sang lead on all of the LP’s other tracks. After Lake left the band to form Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Has...
Brian Wilson, Al Jardine Condemn Trump’s Beach Boys Benefit Concert
The Beach Boys have seen better days. On Sunday, Mike Love’s Frankenstein twist on the legendary outfit performed at an Orange County campaign benefit in support of Donald Trump. Former members Brian Wilson and Al Jardine were not fans. “We have absolutely nothing to do with the Trump benefit today in Newport Beach. Zero,” Wilson and Jardine told Variety through a spokesperson. “We didn’t even know about it and were very surprised to read about it in the Los Angeles Times.” True to the spirit of Trump, the event was a ghoulish display of garish festivities. Tickets ranged from a jaw-dropping $2,800 per donor to a downright criminal $150,000 a couple for co-chair status with The Beach Boys at the center. Of course, every self-respecting fan of The Beach Boys knows this isn’t really The Beac...
Tommy Lee Fires Back at Ted Nugent: “Is That Guy Even Still Alive … I Thought He Shot Himself”
Forget Trump vs. Biden — the nastiest right wing vs. left wing feud is brewing between veteran rockers Ted Nugent and Tommy Lee. Following some disparaging remarks by Nugent about the Mötley Crüe drummer, Lee has fired back at the guitarist with a vengeance. As we reported Wednesday, Nugent seemingly went out of his way to call Lee “a convicted felon, domestic violence heroin addict” during a recent appearance on the political podcast Blunt Force Truth. It was just a matter of time before Lee retaliated, and he did just that on Wednesday night. The drummer tweeted, “Ted Nugent? ….Is that guy even still alive? ….. I thought he shot himself like 20 yrs ago.” A little harsh, indeed, but Lee is playing off the fact that Nugent has long been a proud gun-toting member of the NRA. When the M...
Phil Collins Hits Trump with Cease and Desist Order After Playing “In the Air Tonight”
Phil Collins has hit Donald Trump’s presidential campaign with a cease and desist order following the unauthorized use of “In the Air Tonight” during a rally in Iowa on Wednesday night. Collins’ 1981 solo single was played aloud prior to Trump taking the stage in Des Moines, Iowa. The campaign has a tendency of using songs without listening to their lyrics — the most recent example being CCR’s “Fortunate Son” — but playing a song titled “In the Air Tonight” as an airborne virus continues to ravage the country seems particular tone-deaf. Then again, it could’ve also been the campaign’s way of flipping a middle finger at health officials and media members who question why Trump is holding mass gatherings where many of the attendees are not wearing masks. Whatever the case, Trump’s campaign d...
Tom Petty’s Estate Releases Wildflowers & All the Rest Reissue: Stream
Tom Petty originally envisioned 1994’s Wildflowers as a double album, but was forced to leave off a number of songs when it came time to finalizing the official tracklist. Some of those eventually ended up on later projects — such as Petty’s She’s the One soundtrack — however, most were stashed away in the vault for decades to come. Now, those “lost” recordings have finally been unearthed as part of a massive and long-awaited reissue titled Wildflowers & All the Rest. Stream it in full below via Apple Music or Spotify. This comprehensive, multi-disc collection pairs the original album with a long list of bonus material sure to have fans both nostalgic and giddy. Five previously unreleased tracks are contained on the “All the Rest” disc, while “Home Recordings” consists o...
John Fogerty Serves Trump with Cease and Desist Over Use of “Fortunate Son”
Donald Trump is not the introspective type, and so he has no qualms about playing “Fortunate Son” at campaign rallies without permission. The CCR classic was written by a US Army veteran about children of privilege who found ways — for example, lying about bone spurs — to avoid the draft lottery during the Vietnam War. But even if Trump can’t comprehend the irony, that songwriter has had enough. John Fogerty has issued a “cease and desist” order, tweeting, “He is using my words and my voice to portray a message that I do not endorse.” Fogerty posted his statement along with a picture of himself in uniform. He said “Fortunate Song” came about “because, as a veteran, I was disgusted that some people were allowed to be excluded from serving our country because they had access to political and...
